linux ethical hacking distro Top 10 Most Secure Linux Distros for Personal Use. Several different kinds of secure Linux distros exist, and each is developed for unique usages, including spy-level security, personal use, organizational usage, and more. So, if you want standard security and privacy, you can use the Linux distros that are best for personal use. This article will help you to choose the best Linux distro for your personal usage needs. The following sections include complete information about the top 10 most secure Linux distros available for personal use. Linux Kodachi. Linux Kodachi is a lightweight Linux distro based on Xubuntu 18.04 and developed for running from a USB or DVD. Kodachi is one of the most secure Linux distros available for personal use, offering an anonymous, anti-forensic, and secure system to users. For even tighter security, Linux Kodachi filters all network traffic by VPN, or Virtual Proxy Network, and a Tor network to obscure your location. This Linux distro also works to remove all activity traces after you use it. Kodachi is based on the stable distribution Linux Debian, with customized features from Xfce for higher stability, security, and singularity. Kodachi also has a support system for a protocol, DNScrypt, and utility for encrypting a request for the OpenDNS server through elliptical cryptography. As mentioned previously, Kodachi also has a browser-based system on the Tor Browser, in which you can eliminate any uncertain Tor modules. Pros and cons of Linux Kodachi. Pros Cons Contains various pre-installed programs. Many users complain about the narrow service, as Kodachi is based on Xubuntu. Offers a powerful security system. Provides speedy network access. Is highly stable. 2. Qubes OS. Qubes OS is one of the most secure Linux distros available. Many users recommend this distro for a high-level privacy system. Qubes is a security-oriented operating system (OS) that offers the compatibility to run other programs on a computer/laptop. This Linux distro works for isolating the user’s files from malicious activities and malware without affecting the data. Qubes OS provides top-notch security through compartmentalization, through which you can compartmentalize different tasks in the securely isolated compartment known as Qubes. The Qubes operating system uses the RPM package manager to work on any desktop environment without consuming an excessive amount of resources. Most importantly, Qubes is an open-source operating system, so the source codes are easily available online. We recommend that you use Qube OS if you need advanced security, but it is a bit of an advanced operating system for new users. Pros and Cons of Qubes OS. Pros Cons Users can perform application separation with a sandboxed virtual machine, assuring that any malicious script or apps cannot be passed to system applications. Only recommended for advanced users. Offers a higher level of separation through the Internet by forcing all Internet traffic via the Whonix Tor gateway. It is difficult to test Qubes OS because it does not work well in a virtual machine. 3. Whonix. Whonix is based on the Debian GNU/Linux to offer outstanding security and advanced level privacy. This distro is one of the most secure Linux distros if you want something different in your system’s security. Whonix is different because it does not have a live system rather than running on a virtual machine, particularly where it is isolated from the primary operating system to eliminate the DNS leakage risk. There are two specific parts to Whonix. The first part is Whonix Gateway, which works as the Tor gateway. The second part is Whonix Workstation, an isolated network that works to route all connections via the Tor gateway. This Linux distro will work well if you need a private IP address for your system. As mentioned earlier, Whonix is based on Debian, so it utilizes two different VMs (virtual machines) that make it a little bit resource hungry. Pros and Cons of Whonix. Pros Cons Uses VirtualBox technology to ensure that many people can use this distro easily. Is somewhat resource hungry because it requires a high-end system for proper use. Is easy to set up and use because it does not require special knowledge. Anonymity in Whonix is offered in the workstation virtual machine only, and users can forget it easily. 4. Tails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) Tails, or The Amnesic Incognito Live System, is a security-centric system based on Debian. It is one of the most secure Linux distros available for personal use because it was designed for protecting your identity by keeping your activities anonymous. Tails forces incoming or outgoing traffic through a Tor network and block all traceable connections. Tails was first released in 2009 for personal computers. Tails is one of the most secure Linux distros available for personal use. It does not require any space in your hard disk, as Tails only needs space in the RAM, but it will be erased once a user shuts down the system. Hence, the default desktop environment of Tails is Gnome, and it can be used via a pen drive to save all the RAM data. Pros and Cons of Tails. Pros Cons Is an easy-to-use Linux distro. Must be used as the live boot OS. You can quickly start browsing anonymously. Sometimes, users misplace the flash drive, which can create major issues. Is packaged with a TOR Browser. TOR is a bit problematic, as it is compressed for Tails. Offers a secured space to save passwords. 5. Kali Linux. Kali Linux is based on Debian and was created to offer an amazing penetration Linux distro for ethical hacking, security experts, digital forensics, and network security assessments. This distribution is one of the best and most secure Linux distros for personal, providing users with packages of tools like Foremost, Wireshark, Maltigo as-Aircrack-ng, Kismet, and more. These packages offer various benefits to users, such as exploiting a victim application, checking the targeted IP address, and performing a network discovery. You can use Kali Linux via a USB stick or DVD, so this distro is quite easy to use, like the Tails distro mentioned earlier in the list. Kali Linux is compatible with both 32- and 64-bit systems. Apart from that, the basic requirements of Kali Linux are 512 MB of RAM and 10 GB of hard disk space. According to multiple surveys, developers consider Kali Linux to be one of the top-ranked and most secure Linux distros available. Pros and Cons Kali Linux. Pros Cons An open-source distribution that can be accessed easily. Can make the system a bit slower than usual. Inxluswa multi-language support. Users face software-related issues. Allows users to locate different binaries easily. Sometimes, Kali Linux corrupts the system. 6. Parrot Security OS. Parrot Security OS was developed by FrozenBox and is based on a Debian distribution. Released in 2013, this Linux distro was created for ethical hacking, working anonymously, and penetration testing. This Linux distro was specifically designed to test authorized simulated attacks on the computer system, which can be beneficial for assessing system vulnerabilities. As mentioned earlier, Parrot Security OS is an open-source and free GNU distribution made for security researchers, developers, penetration testers, privacy enthusiasts, and forensic investigators. Parrot Security OS comes with a portable laboratory that works to protect your system from security-related issues while using the Internet, gaming, or browsing. This Linux distro is distributed as a rolling release (frequently providing updates and applications), so it offers some core applications, including Parrot Terminal, MATE, Tor Browser, and OnionShare, as its default desktop environment. Pros and Cons Parrot Security OS. Pros Cons Offers a large number of tools. It is not minimalistic. The widgets are very easy to use. It has shortcut-related issues. Does not require the GPU to run correctly. Has a sleek UI, and things are easy to navigate. 7. BlackArch Linux. BlackArch is based on Arch Linux, and it is a lightweight Linux distro designed for penetration tester, security researchers, and computer experts. This Linux distro provides multiple features, combined with 2,000+ cybersecurity tools that users can install according to their requirements. BlackArch can be used on any hardware, as it is a lightweight Linux distro and also a new project, so many developers prefer to use this distro nowadays. According to the reviews, this Linux distro can compete against many reliable OS due to the variety of features and tools for experts that it offers. Users can choose between different desktop environments, including Awesome, spectrwm, Fluxbox, and Blackbox. BlackArch is available in the DVD image, and you can also easily run it from a pen drive. Pros and Cons of BlackArch Linux. Pros Cons Offers a large repository. It is not recommended for beginners. It is a suitable choice for professionals. Sometimes, the system becomes slower while using BlackArch. It is better than ArchStrike. It is based on Arch Linux. 8. IprediaOS. IprediaOS is a privacy-centered Linux distro based on Fedora. If you are looking for a platform to browse, email, and share files anonymously, then IprediaOS is a good choice for you. Along with privacy and anonymity, IprediaOS also provides stability, computing ability, and amazing speed. Compared to other Linux distros, IprediaOS is much faster, and you can run this distro smoothly even on older systems. The Ipredia operating system is security-conscious, and it is designed with the minimalist ideology of shipping with vital applications. IprediaOS seeks to transparently encrypt and anonymize all traffic by sending it through an I2P anonymizing network. The basic features of IprediaOS include I2P Router, Anonymous BitTorrent client, Anonymous email client, Anonymous IRC client, and more. Pros and Cons of IprediaOS. Pros Cons Can be used on an older system. Sometimes, users face performance-related issues. Provides anonymous email client services. Provides anonymous email client services. 9. Discreete. Discreete Linux is based on Debian, and it was developed to offer protection from trojan-based surveillance by isolating working from a location with secured data. Discreete was formerly known as UPR (Ubuntu Privacy Remix), so it is a trusted and secure Linux distro that will protect your data. You can use this OS via CD, DVD, or USB drive, as it cannot be installed on the hard drive, and all networks are deliberately disabled when Discreete runs in the system. Discreete is one of the unique Linux distros in terms of security, and it was developed for everyday computer activities, such as gaming or word processing. As we have mentioned above, Discreete disables the Internet connection while working to separate the data and cryptographic keys to remain protected from non-trusted networks. Pros and Cons of Discreete. Pros Cons It is best for everyday work. Disables the network when a user works on it. You can use it via DVD, CD, or USB drive. 10. TENS. The full form of TENS is Trusted End Node Security. TENS was developed by the United States Department of Defense’s Air Force Research Laboratory. This Linux distro does not need administrator privileges for running without installation and storing it in the hard drive. TENS consists of an Xfce desktop, and it is customized to look like a Windows XP desktop. Everything about the appearance of TENS is similar to Windows, including the application names and placements. This Linux distro is available in two editions. The first edition of TENS is a Deluxe edition that includes various applications, like LibreOffice, Evince PDF reader, Totem Movie Player, Thunderbird, and so on. The other edition of TENS is the regular edition that includes an encryption app and some other useful apps. Pros and Cons of TENS. Pros Cons Offers great security and privacy. The look of TENS Provides two different editions for users. Exhibits performance-related issues. Conclusion. This article provided a list of the top ten most secure Linux distros for personal use. All the distros discussed in this article offer amazing features and anonymity to the user. We have included these Linux distros according to user reviews and features, but the list position of each distribution is completely random. Privacy, security, and anonymity are important for performing specific computer-related tasks, and any of these Linux distros would be a great choice for keeping your information safe from malicious threats. About the author. Prateek Jangid. A passionate Linux user for personal and professional reasons, always exploring what is new in the world of Linux and sharing with my readers. The Best Linux Distributions for Ethical Hacking 2020. As we know, we have at our disposal a wide range of possibilities in terms of operating systems. There is life beyond Windows, which is the most used on desktop computers. We have many Linux distributions that we can use. Each of these options has its own peculiarities, resources and added software. Some may be more computer security oriented, for example. We will talk about it in this article. We will make a compilation of the best operating systems for computer security and ethical hacking . Best Linux distributions for ethical hacking. We have many options to test the safety of our equipment. We will make a selection of the most popular and used Linux distributions for ethical hacking. Each of them may have different options with which we can access programs and functions with which to protect our systems. BlackArch Linux. Undoubtedly BlackArch Linux is one of the most popular and used ethical hacking distributions. It has a wide variety of options to test the security of the devices. One of the most important strengths of BlackArch Linux is the large number of tools available. It has more than 2,500, but they constantly add new ones with each version they release. It is, in short, an operating system to take into account if we are interested in this world. Kali Linux. It is another distribution that cannot be missing in this list. Again we are facing an operating system widely used for computer security and ethical hacking . It offers many options. Kali Linux is based on Debian and has been improving its performance for many years with each new version. It has hundreds of cybersecurity-oriented tools, carry out multiple tests, gather information, scan networks … Everything necessary for experts and not so experts in computer security to carry out their tests. Backbox. Backbox is not as well known as the previous two, but it also has very interesting tools to carry out security tests such as MSF, NMAP, BurpSuite, Armitage, SQLMap, etc. It is based on Ubuntu . It should be mentioned that next September marks a decade since the first official launch of this Linux distribution based on computer security. Pentoo. A classic Linux distribution based on computer security is Pentoo . For many it is one of the most complete distributions. We are also facing one of the oldest, since this year turns 15 since it was launched. It is, therefore, a very important option to consider if we are interested in the world of cybersecurity and carry out tests. Wifislax. Surely on some occasion you have heard of Wifislax . It is a Linux distribution that has been very popular for testing network security. It has different tools to carry out attacks against Wi-Fi networks and know if they are really safe or could access them intruders. This operating system is based on Ubuntu. It is certainly an option that we must introduce in our list. Parrot Security OS. One more distribution to add to this list is Parrot Security OS . It is another of the most used for ethical hacking. It offers a large number of tools that help us improve computer security and test our equipment. It has a large repository of cybersecurity-oriented software for both novice and more expert users. It began its journey in 2013 and is based on Debian . Bugtraq. Bugtraq is based on Debian. It offers a wide range of possibilities in terms of tools to test our computer security. It was launched in 2012 and is specially designed for more expert users. We can find very varied software. Meet Karmbian, an ARM Linux Distro for Ethical Hackers Based on Kali Linux and Armbian. I love new projects, and today I would like to introduce you guys to Karmbian, a very promising ARM Linux distro for ethical hacking and penetration testing based on Kali Linux and using the Armbian toolchain. Launched just a few days ago, Karmbian is a Kali Linux based distribution optimized for ARM devices, including single-board computers (SBC) like the Raspberry Pi and ROCK64, as well as ARM laptops like the PineBook Pro. Being based on Kali Linux (formerly BackTrack), you can imagine that the whole purpose of the Karmbian project is provide ARM fans with a light and complete GNU/Linux distribution for ethical hacking and penetration testing. Now you’ll ask yourselves, why not run Kali Linux directly on my ARM device? Well, the Karmbian explain that running Kali Linux on a SBC has not always been possible. That’s why Karmbian is also using the Armbian toolchain, a Debian and Ubuntu based computer operating system for ARM development boards. “Karmbian opens the possibility of running Kali on numerous SBCs that aren’t supported otherwise,” said lead developer Shane Scott. “Having it based on Armbian allows novice users to customize their Kali build for their SBC very easily.” The first release of Karmbian is optimized for single-board computers using the RK3399 chip, such as PINE64’s ROCK64 and ROCKPro64, as well as ODroid N2. But you can also use it on ARM laptops like the PineBook Pro from PINE64, and other SBCs supported by Armbian. Pre-build images are available for download now from the project’s GitHub page (link below). The images are available with the core Kali Linux desktop pre-loaded or command-line only, so make sure you’re downloading the right one for your needs. If you want to build Karmbian images for your ARM device, you will need a 64-bit SBC or ARM laptop with at least 2GB of RAM and around 35GB of free disk space. A 64-bit Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or Kali Linux 2020 installation is needed for native building. The developers promise to bring support for more devices in the coming weeks, starting with the Raspberry Pi, so keep an eye on this space for more news about Karmbian very soon. Kali Linux 2020.4 Ethical Hacking Distro Is Out Now with ZSH as Default Shell, Linux 5.9. After it’s been installed as a preview in Kali Linux 2020.3 , ZSH (Z Shell) is now the new default shell in Kali Linux 2020.4. ZHS brings a number of improvements over Bash and it looks better. But, if you’re installing Kali Linux and you want to use Bash by default, you can simply run the chsh -s /bin/bash command. On the other hand, existing Kali Linux 2020.3 users who upgrade to Kali Linux 2020.4 will have to enable ZSH manually if they want to use it as the default shell. To do that, you must run the following commands in a terminal emulator. /.zshrc ] && cp -i .zshrc. cp -i /etc/skel/.zshrc. “Thank you to everyone who provided positive and constructive feedback. We are happy with it, and hope you are too,” said Offensive Security. “ZSH will be the default shell on our desktop images (amd64/i386), and cloud.” On top of the new ZSH implementation, the Kali Linux 2020.4 release revamps the Bash prompt to make it feel similar to the ZSH one. Once again, existing users will have to execute a few commands in the terminal prompt to get the new universal, cross-shell theme. More details are available in the official announcement page. Several new tools are included in Kali Linux 2020.4, such as Metasploit Framework v6, CertGraph, FinalRecon, Whatmask, Apple bleee, goDoH, dnscat2, and hostapd-mana. Under the hood, this Kali Linux release is powered by the latest Linux 5.9 kernel series. Among other noteworthy changes, this release implements a new login message to make it easier for newcomers to find the information they need to get started, adds a new VMware Vagrant image, adds a new boot animation to Kali NetHunter, and refreshes the AWS (Amazon Web Services) EC2 cloud image. You can download Kali Linux 2020.4 right now from the official website where you’ll find ISO and torrent images for the live version, as well as the installer-only or net installer versions and the VirtualBox and VMware images. Existing users do not need to download the new images to keep their installations up to date. Simply run the sudo apt update && sudo apt full- upgrade command to install all the latest updates for your Kali Linux 2020 system. Best Linux Distros for Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing. Here is a list of some top Linux distro for ethical hacking and penetration testing that will surely help you to pick one that best fits your need. Kali Linux: It is developed by Offensive Security as the rewrite of BackTrack and tops our list as one of the best operating systems for hacking purposes. This Debian-based OS comes with 500+ preinstalled pen testing tools and applications that make your security toolbox richer to start along. These flexible tools are frequently updated and are offered for different platforms like ARM and VMware. Kali Linux is also feasible for a forensic job as it comes with a live boot capability that provides a perfect environment for vulnerability detection. Parrot Security OS: It is also a Debian-based OS that is developed by Frozenbox’s team. Parrot security is a cloud-friendly operating system designed for ethical hacking, pen testing, computer forensics, cryptography, etc. Compared to others, Parrot Security OS is a lightweight OS that is highly efficient to work with. Parrot Security OS is a mixture of Frozenbox OS and Kali Linux. Moreover, this highly customizable hacking operating system also comes with a strong community support. BackBox: BackBox Linux is an Ubuntu-based operating system that is used for security assessment and penetration testing. BackBox Linux has a wide range of security analysis tools that can be used for web application analysis, network analysis, etc. It is fast and easy to use Linux distro that is famous among hacker’s community which comes with a complete desktop environment. The software applications provided by the OS are regularly updated with the most stable versions. Samurai Web Testing Framework: Samurai Web Testing Framework is essentially a live Linux environment that comes pre-configured to work as a web penetration testing platform. It contains multiple free and open source hacking tools for detecting web vulnerabilities. It is often known as the best operating system for Web Penetration Testing. Pentoo Linux: Pentoo is a pen testing focused operating system based on Gentoo Linux. It can be used on top of an existing Gentoo Linux installation. Pentoo is an XFCE-based distro which comes with persistence support that enables you to save all the changes you make before running off a USB stick. It comes with a wide variety of tools that fall under categories like Exploit, Cracker, Database, and Scanner, etc. DEFT Linux: The open source Linux distribution “DEFT” stands for Digital Evidence and Forensic Toolkit. DEFT is based on Ubuntu and built around the DART (Digital Advanced Response Toolkit) software. It is preconfigured with many popular forensic tools and documents that can be used by ethical hackers, penetration testers, IT security specialists, and other individuals. Caine: Security focused distro “Caine” is an Ubuntu-based operating system that is available as a live disk. It stands for Computer Aided Investigation Environment. This Linux distro comes with a wide range of tools to help you in computer forensics. Caine comes with various numbers of database, memory, forensics, and network analysis applications. Network Security Toolkit (NST): Fedora-based Linux distro “Network Security Toolkit” runs on 32 and 64-bit platforms. This bootable live CD was created to give you a right to use the best open source network security applications for pen testing purposes. This easy-to-use hacking distro easily converts the x86 systems into an ethical hacking machine that is helpful in intrusion detection, network traffic sniffing, network packet generation, network/host scanning, etc. Interested in taking a security hacker course? Check out InfoSec Institute’s training boot camps, or fill out the form below for pricing! BlackArch Linux: BlackArch Linux is an absolute Linux distribution for security researchers and ethical hackers. It is derived from Arch Linux, and one can also install the BlackArch Linux components on top of it. It provides more than 1400 tools that are thoroughly tested before adding to the codebase. Moreover, it is constantly growing reputation is making it popular among operating systems for hacking purposes. Bugtraq: Bugtraq is famous for its electronic mailing list that is purely dedicated to computer security. It is available in Debian, Ubuntu, and OpenSUSE. The Bugtraq developer team consists of experienced hackers and developers that offer a great service for ethical pen testers. It comes with a number of penetration testing tools including mobile forensic tools, malware testing tools and other software developed by the Bugtraq-Community. However, there are many other distributions as well that are used by many professional, but these are the mainly used distributions that are highly recommended and preferred by experienced professionals from the field. Moreover, the selection of Linux distribution depends on the purpose for what purpose it is being used.