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Raspberry Pi
Kali Linux is a Debian based operating system specially made for penetration testing. Kali
Linux has all the required tools for penetration testing installed by default. Even if something
is not installed by default, it will be in the official package repository of Kali Linux. So, you can
easily install whatever you need from the official package repository of Kali Linux. Kali Linux is
any penetration tester’s best friend.
In this article, I am going to show you how to install Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi 4. So, let’s get
started.
First, visit the official Kali Linux ARM images download page from your favorite web
browser. Once the page loads, scroll down to the RASPBERRYPI FOUNDATION section and
click on one of the Kali Linux Raspberry Pi images as marked in the screenshot below.
If you have the 2GB version of the Raspberry Pi 4, then download the Kali Linux
RaspberryPi 2, 3, and 4 images.
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22.3.2021 Install Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi 4 – Linux Hint
If you have the 4GB or 8GB version of the Raspberry Pi 4, then download the Kali Linux
RaspberryPi 2 (v1.2), 3, and 4 (64-bit) image.
Once you click on a download link, your browser should prompt you to save the Kali Linux
Raspberry Pi image. Select a directory where you want to save the image and click on Save.
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Your browser should start downloading the Kali Linux Raspberry Pi image. It may take a while
to complete.
In this article, I will use the Raspberry Pi Imager program to flash the Kali Linux image on a
microSD card. Raspberry Pi Imager can be downloaded from the official website of the
Raspberry Pi Foundation . It is available for Windows 10, Mac, and Ubuntu. If you need any
assistance on installing Raspberry Pi Imager, check out my article How to Install and Use
Raspberry Pi Imager at LinuxHint.com.
Once you have Raspberry Pi Imager installed on your computer, insert the microSD card on
your computer and run Raspberry Pi Imager.
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Select the Kali Linux Raspberry Pi image that you have just downloaded and click on Open.
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To select your microSD card, click on CHOOSE SD CARD as marked in the screenshot
below.
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To flash the Kali Linux image to the selected microSD card, click on WRITE.
Before the microSD card can be flashed with a new operating system image, it must be
erased. If you don’t have any important data on your microSD card, click on YES.
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Raspberry Pi Imager should start flashing the Kali Linux Raspberry Pi image on the microSD
card. It may take a while to complete.
Once the Kali Linux Raspberry Pi image is written on the microSD card, Raspberry Pi Imager
will check the microSD card for write errors. It may take a while to complete.
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At this point, the Kali Linux Raspberry Pi image should be flashed on to the microSD card.
Click on CONTINUE and close Raspberry Pi Imager. Then, remove the microSD card from
your computer.
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USB keyboard, a USB mouse, a network cable on the RJ45 port (optional), and a USB Type-
C power cable on your Raspberry Pi 4.
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The default username is kali and the default password is kali. Type in the username and
password and click on Log In.
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Kali Linux uses about 457 MiB of memory when no programs are running. The Kali Linux
desktop environment is lightweight and very responsive on the Raspberry Pi 4. I did not face
any usability issues.
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To disable overscan, open a terminal and open the /boot/config.txt file with the following
command:
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Remove the # sign from the front of the disable_overscan=1 line. This will uncomment the
line.
Then, press <Ctrl> + X followed by Y and <Enter> to save the /boot/config.txt file.
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For the changes to take effect, reboot your Raspberry Pi 4 with the following command:
Once your Raspberry Pi 4 boots, the black borders or exclusion zones around your screen
should be gone.
Conclusion:
In this article, I have shown how to install Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi 4. Kali Linux is a great
operating system for pen-testers. Kali Linux runs very well on Raspberry Pi 4. The default Kali
Linux desktop environment is lightweight. The user interface is really snappy and very
responsive. I did not find any usability issues so far.
Shahriar Shovon
Freelancer & Linux System Administrator. Also loves Web API development with
Node.js and JavaScript. I was born in Bangladesh. I am currently studying
Electronics and Communication Engineering at Khulna University of
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