14 DAY TRIAL // Offensive Security announced today the release and general availability of the Kali Linux 2019.03 operating system, a major update to the Kali Linux 2019 series that adds lots of new features, improvements, and updated hacking tools.
Kali Linux 2019.03 kicks off important changes to the default toolset, which will be split in three main categories, kali-linux-default with essential tools for penetration testing, kali-linux-large with a wider collection of penetration testing tools, and kali-linux-everything with all the hacking tools.
It also brings better support for ARM architectures, a few helper scripts that makes finding information about packages more easily and automatically runs Windows binaries with Wine, or make it easier to discover what resources can be transferred over to a Windows system.
The Kali Linux NetHunter project for running the OS on Android devices has been updated as well in this release with support for new smartphones, including LG V20 International Edition, Nexus 5X, Nexus 10, and OnePlus 7, the latter being Offensive Security's new flagship device for Kali Linux NetHunter.
"The OnePlus 7 is now the phone we recommend for Kali NetHunter. It is the latest and greatest flagship device for half the price of other devices," said Offensive Security. "One thing to note is package management is done through the F-Droid compatible NetHunter store, so you can even choose to have a NetHunter device without any Google Play."
Now powered by Linux kernel 5.2
Under the hood, Kali Linux 2019.03 switches to the Linux 5.2 kernel series, which brings much better hardware support than the Linux 4.19 series used in the previous release. Linux kernel 5.2.9 is being used by default in this version, which updates many tools, including Burp Suite, HostAPd-WPE, Hyperion, Kismet, and Nmap.
Last but not least, Kali Linux 2019.03 adds support for several ARM devices, including the PINEBOOK and Gateworks Ventana systems. It also brings support for Raspberry Pi 4 and improvements for Raspberry Pi Zero W, along with new kernels for ODROID-C2 and other Raspberry Pi devices.
An official Kali Linux LXD image has been released as well for running the operating system on Linux containers. You can download Kali Linux 2019.03 right now through our free software portal or directly from the official website. Existing users can update their installations directly.
