Kali Linux isn’t the unique Linux distribution available on the Windows App Store, Windows users can download other popular distros, including as Ubuntu, Fedora, and OpenSUSE.

The Linux distribution can be used directly on Windows by exploiting the feature called Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

“For the past few weeks, we’ve been working with the Microsoft WSL team to get Kali Linux introduced into the Microsoft App Store as an official WSL distribution, and today we’re happy to announce the availability of the ‘Kali Linux’ Windows application,” reads the announcement published on the Kali Linux website.

“For Windows 10 users, this means you can simply enable WSL, search for Kali in the Windows store, and install it with a single click. This is especially exciting news for penetration testers and security professionals who have limited toolsets due to enterprise compliance standards.”

To enable the WSL follow these steps:

• Access the “Apps and features” menù item under the Control Panel
• Select “Programs and Features” from the right panel
• Click the “Turn Windows features on or off” from the left menu
• Check the “Windows Subsystem for Linux”
• Save the operation and Reboot the system

Offensive Security has published a video to show how to use the distribution on Windows 10.

https://vimeo.com/255052199

It is important to remind that the Kali Linux on Windows does not come with any hacking testing tools pre-installed, this means that you need to download them when needed.

Experts noticed that Antivirus software, including Windows Defender, can flag the distro’s packages as a malware.

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – Linux, malware)

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