Kali Linux

Deploy Kali Linux, a Debian-based Linux distribution for penetration testing, security research, computer forensics, and security auditing.

This app lets you choose a Kali metapackage during deployment and optionally configure VNC remote desktop access.

1. Deploy Kali Linux

Estimated deployment time: 5–60 minutes, depending on selected package

Follow the deployment instructions from the Get started section to configure the app, deploy it, and verify software installation.

For information on the app-specific configurations, see the Configuration options section.

Base distribution and plan

Supported distribution: Kali Linux
Recommended plans: Use a 4GB Dedicated CPU or Shared CPU Compute Instance.

Configuration options

Configure the required options to deploy your instance. For additional customization, add advanced options.

The table maps the Cloud Manager UI fields to their corresponding API/CLI keys (stackscript_data) required for automated deployments.

StackScript ID: 1017300

UI field	API/CLI key	Description
Required options
Limited sudo user	`user_name`	Your preferred username for the limited sudo user entered without any capital letters, spaces, or special characters. When adding a limited sudo user, the user is created with a strong generated password for your new Linode instance, and the account is assigned to the `sudo` group, which provides elevated permissions when running commands with the `sudo` prefix. Note: For easier and more secure access with the sudo user, add an account SSH key for the Cloud Manager user during deployment and select that user as an `authorized_user`. Their SSH pubkey will be assigned to both the root and limited user.
VNC username	`vnc_username`	Required when VNC is enabled. The VNC username to create for this instance. This username has elevated `sudo` privileges and can access the VNC session. The value accepts only lowercase letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores.
Advanced options
Disable root access over SSH	`disable_root`	Applies to a limited sudo user. To block the root user from logging in over SSH, select Yes. Defaults to No. Note: When you disable the root user from logging in over SSH and don't provide a valid Account SSH Key assigned to the `authorized_user`, you can still switch to the root user. To do that, log in as root via the Lish console and run `cat /home/$USERNAME/.credentials` to view the generated password for the limited sudo user.
Kali Linux Package	`kali_package`	The Kali Linux metapackage to install. Possible values are: Core. Installs the kali-linux-core metapackage, which includes essential penetration testing tools. Default. Installs the kali-linux-default metapackage, which includes commonly used tools and utilities. Everything. Installs the kali-linux-everything metapackage, which includes all available Kali packages. Defaults to Default.
Setup VNC Remote Desktop	`vnc`	When set to Yes, it installs and configures TigerVNC with XFCE Desktop for remote desktop access. Defaults to No. Use it for the Everything package. It also adds desktop functionality to the Default and Core packages.
Optional data exporter Add-ons	`add_ons`	An option to include add-ons for your deployment. Possible values are: none (default) node_exporter mysqld_exporter newrelic

Note: After the app deployment completes, the password for your limited sudo user is generated and stored in the .credentials file in the home directory, along with application-specific passwords. Log in to your instance as root through the Lish console or SSH, then run cat /home/$USERNAME/.credentials to view its contents.

Use API, CLI, or Terraform

In addition to deploying the app to a new Linode instance via Cloud Manager, you can also use the Linode API, CLI, or Terraform. When running the operation, you need to provide the StackScript ID, supported Linux distribution, and app-specific fields along with the standard Linode deployment configurations.

Note: Generate a personal access token to authenticate your API, CLI, or Terraform requests.

curl --location 'https://api.linode.com/v4/linode/instances' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer abc123def456hij789klm' \
  --data-raw '{
    "region": "us-east",
    "type": "g6-standard-2",
    "image": "linode/kali",
    "label": "my-kali-linux-one-click-app",
    "root_pass": "@C0mpl3x#P@ssw0rd",
    "stackscript_id": 1017300,
    "stackscript_data": {
      "vnc_username": "vncuser",
      "user_name": "jsmith"
    }
  }'

linode-cli linodes create \
  --region us-east \
  --type g6-standard-2 \
  --label my-kali-linux-one-click-app \
  --image linode/kali \
  --root_pass @C0mpl3x#P@ssw0rd \
  --stackscript_id 1017300 \
  --stackscript_data '{"vnc_username":"vncuser", "user_name":"jsmith"}'

resource "linode_instance" "my-linode" {
  region         = "us-east"
  type           = "g6-standard-2"
  label          = "my-kali-linux-one-click-app"
  image          = "linode/kali"
  root_pass      = "@C0mpl3x#P@ssw0rd"
  stackscript_id = 1017300
  stackscript_data = {
    "vnc_username" = "vncuser"
    "user_name"    = "jsmith"
  }
}

2. Access the Kali Linux desktop

Connect with VNC

If you enabled VNC during deployment, TigerVNC and the XFCE desktop environment are installed. This allows you to connect remotely to the desktop environment and access Kali’s GUI tools.

Note: You can use several options for macOS and Windows, but this guide uses RealVNC Viewer.

To access your Kali Linux desktop through a VNC client:

From your desktop, create an SSH tunnel to your Linode instance.

Replace [vnc-username] with the VNC username you created and [ip-address] with the IPv4 address of your Compute Instance. To learn more about viewing IP addresses, see Manage IP addresses on a Linode.
```
ssh -L 61000:localhost:5901 -N -l [vnc-username] [ip-address]
```
Then open your preferred VNC viewer application and connect to your instance through the SSH tunnel you created using localhost:61000.

A warning may appear notifying you that the connection is unencrypted. Since you’re using an SSH tunnel, your connection is encrypted over the internet. You can safely ignore this warning and continue.
Enter the VNC user password.

After connecting, you're redirected to the Kali Linux desktop.

Additional resources

For more information about the installed packages, see their official documentation.

Kali Linux Documentation

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Note that we can't vouch for the accuracy or timeliness of externally hosted resources.