What is Kali Linux ? 

Linux is a free, open-source, UNIX-like operating system. As you continue to 
learn how to hack, you will realize how important it is to learn how to use the 
Linux operating system. Need some convincing?

Here are a couple facts:

1.Millions of servers on the internet run on the Linux operating system. 
You must learn the operating system to be able to penetrate these web 
servers.

2. Some of the best hacking programs only run on Linux.
Choosing a distribution
A Linux distribution is the Linux kernel (- central component of an operating 
system.) plus a collection of applications. If you are a beginner to Linux, I would 
suggest starting with Ubuntu as your first Linux distribution. 

It is simple to install 

and very user friendly. To see a full list of the most popular distributions can go to 
http://distrowatch.com .
Running Linux
There are many ways to get Linux up and running. I will show you the most 
popular methods below.

Live CD’s are usually used to test and play around with a Linux distribution. 
With a Live CD, you do not have to install the OS (operating system) onto your 
hard drive because it runs off the disc on boot. 
Because it is running off a disc, you 
won’t be able to permanently modify any system files. Everything you do will be 
stored temporarily in your RAM. Below are the steps to create a Live CD.

Download and install IsoRecorder at


http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm and burn
the Ubuntu .iso file onto a blank CD with the software. 

Once you have downloaded and installed 

the IsoRecorder software 
locate the Ubuntu image file, right click and select Copy image to CD 
and follow the rest of the steps

Restart the computer with the newly made CD in the CD-ROM.
If your computer doesn’t boot from the CD and continues into Windows, you 
must change your computer’s boot order. You can do this by restarting your 
computer and going into BIOS. 

You get there by hitting the correct key constantly. 
If you see the Windows screen, it means you missed it. The key varies from 
system to system.

Usually it is a function key such as F10. It may also be the DEL 
or ESC key. The key should be shown on your screen immediately after you boot 
up your computer. It is usually the key pointing to “Setup”.

Once you are in the BIOS, select “Boot Sequence” and make sure CD-ROM is set 
to the first one. If it’s not, move it up. All what this does is makes sure your CD�ROM boots before your hard drive. 
see a window full of countries. Once you select yours you will see the
main Ubuntu screen. From here choose the first option to try Ubuntu without any
risks. Once the Ubuntu desktop has loaded and you decide you like what you see,
you have the option to install it by clicking on the install button on the desktop.
Wubi is my favorite option. With the Wubi installer you can install
and uninstall Ubuntu as any other Windows application. You can use the
Live CD version to install Wubi if you followed the steps above and
downloaded it. Or you can download the 

full 5 gigabyte version from   Wubi 
Download:-
http://wubi-installer.org/ .

1. If you downloaded the full 5 gigabyte file, double click it to run it. If you
are using the previously downloaded Live CD version, then insert your
Ubuntu Live CD. A Ubuntu CD menu should come up. 

2. Choose: Install inside Windows
3. In the next window, choose the appropriate options and click install

4. Wait for it to fully install and hit finish. Simple, eh?

5. Reboot the computer. Before Windows loads, a screen will come up that
gives you an option to boot into Windows or Ubuntu. Arrow down to
Ubuntu and hit <ENTER>.

6. Ubuntu will begin to load. Since this is your first time starting Ubuntu, it
will install and configure a bunch of things, and restart again.

7. Boot into Ubuntu again and you’re good to go!
This is by far my favorite way to run any Linux distribution if I just want to
try it out. With VirtualBox you can run Linux within a Windows or Mac computer.
VirtualBox

1. First download VirtualBox at
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads .
2. Install it.
3. Open it up and click New on the top.
4. Hit Next.
5. Name it and choose Ubuntu from the drop-down list

6. Choose the amount of RAM you would like to dedicate to running
Linux. Choose about ¼ to ½ of your total RAM. I have 2 gigs of RAM,
so I chose 512 MB.

7. Hit Next

8. Here we choose whether we would like to create a dynamic or fixed
hard disk image. If you have lots of space on your hard disk, I would
go with a dynamic image so if you choose to download lots of
programs it won’t be a problem. If you have limited drive space, you
should go with a fixed-size image so that you don’t have to worry
about going over too much.

Now that you have Ubuntu up and running you might be wondering what 
to do next. You should now start to learn and eventually master the Linux 
distribution of your choice. 

You’ll find that almost every distribution has a massive 
community that is ready to help you, and it’s only a Google search away! For 
example if you choose to stick with 

Ubuntu- 
http://ubuntuforums.org/ 
has a community of 700,000 members! So if you have a question or problems ask away, 
there will always be someone out there with a solution.

I would also recommend buying a book. Reading is the best way to gain 
knowledge. Below I have a list of some great books you should take a look at.




Frequently Asked Questions