A standard operating system like Windows and Mac OSX, though they do include some degree of customization, can’t hold a candle to what Linux can do. One of the most beautiful qualities of Linux is that it is incredibly customizable. Some of the tools, however, may link to an online service that requires a subscription, but by and large, the overwhelming majority of the programs included by default are entirely free to use.Ī perfect example of an exception, however, is a tool like Metasploit, which can be used for free, though there is a Pro version with vastly expanded capabilities and a massive price tag. There’s not much to say about the relative price of either operating system, because they can both be downloaded for free. Furthermore, as I’ll discuss later, Backbox doesn’t include nearly as many default programs, which I think is less intimidating and less overwhelming. Both offer clean and intuitive interfaces, but because Backbox looks and feels more like Ubuntu, and because most people who have used Linux have touched Ubuntu at some time or another, I think it’s easier to use. Personally, I think that Backbox is easier for beginners to use, and the Kali is more challenging. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should dive into the deep end and try the most challenging variety of Linux, because it’s easy to become discouraged. Sooner or later you’re going to need to get comfortable with the command line. Look, you’re going to have to know how networks, computers, and operating systems function if you have any hope of becoming a competent security professional – there’s no way around it. And believe it or not, Backbox is actually based on Ubuntu, which leads me to my next point: ease of use. Kali Linux is maintained by Offensive Security and used to be called Backtrack Linux. However, each distribution has followed wildly different evolutionary paths. Ultimately, both Backbox and Kali Linux can be traced back to their primitive Debian ancestor. Wikipedia has a Linux family tree timeline that is as fascinating as it is dizzying. There are a million and one “flavors” of Linux, though they can be separated broadly into a few categories, such as Red Hat, Debian, and so on. Several years ago, I would have recommended a distribution called Backtrack Linux, but the latest version of Backtrack has been redesigned and re-branded as Kali Linux years ago.īut is Kali the only version of Linux designed for security testing? Not at all, and today we’re going to take a look at two of the best penetration testing and ethical hacking distributions: Backbox vs Kali. If you want to build penetration testing to (ethically!) probe networks and computer systems to find holes and plug ‘em up, you need a Linux distribution designed for just that purpose. Network and endpoint security is absolutely critical in today’s data-driven world, and white hat hacking skills are in high demand. And though versions like Ubuntu are great for personal use and common tasks, they’re not best suited for white hat hacking and penetration testing. Many Linux distributions were little more than a command line, and though they had tons of great software, only the nerdiest of the nerds ever successfully ran the operating system.įast forward 18 years and distributions like Ubuntu make Linux so user-friendly it has become a commonplace desktop replacement for Windows and Mac. In the olden days, you really had to know how to work from the command line, and many Linux systems had extremely limited GUI’s…if they had one at all. Thankfully, good-hearted nerds have spent hours on end coding open source software, and there has been a veritable explosion of Linux operating systems over the last 18 years.
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