Short Bytes:
Wondering which is the best operating system for ethical hacking and
pen testing purposes? Trying to solve this problem, fossBytes has
prepared a list of the most efficient Linux distros for hacking purposes
that you need to check out in 2016.
It’s time to pause the archaic
Windows vs. OS X vs. Linux
discussion and switch over to some advanced operating systems dedicated
to pen testing and ethical hacking. A security-focused operating system
is a hacker’s best friend as it helps them to detect the weaknesses in
computer systems or computer networks. In this article, we have listed
2016’s top 10 operating systems for ethical hacking and penetration
testing.
Here
is the list of 10 best hacking operating system along with their
download links. All of these are based on Linux Kernel and free to use.
Let’s take a look:
10 Best Operating Systems For Ethical Hacking And Penetration Testing | 2016
Kali Linux:
Developed
by Offensive Security as the rewrite of BackTrack, Kali Linux distro
tops our list of the best operating systems for hacking purposes. This
Debian-based OS comes with 600+ preinstalled pen testing tools that make
your security toolbox richer. These versatile tools are updated
regularly and are available for different platforms like ARM and VMware.
For a forensic job, this top hacking operating system comes with a live
boot capability that provides a perfect environment for vulnerability
detection.
Download
Kali Linux
Parrot Security OS:
Debian-based
Parrot Security OS is developed by Frozenbox’s team. This
cloud-friendly operating system is designed for ethical hacking, pen
testing, computer forensics, ethical hacking, cryptography etc. Compared
to others, Parrot Security OS promises a lightweight OS that is highly
efficient. Along with its plethora of legally recognized tools, you also
get the opportunity to work and surf anonymously.
For those who
don’t know, Parrot Security OS is a mixture of Frozenbox OS and Kali
Linux. The OS uses Kali repos for updating its tools, but it has its own
dedicated repo for storing the custom packets. It comes with MATE
desktop environment and the powerful interface is derived from famous
Gnome 2. This highly customizable hacking oeprating system also comes
with a strong community support.
Download
Parrot Security OS
BackBox:
BackBox
Linux is an Ubuntu-based operating system with its focus on security
assessment and penetration testing. BackBox Linux comes with a wide
range of security analysis tools that help you in web application
analysis, network analysis etc. This fast and easy to use hackers’
favorite Linux distro comes with a complete desktop environment. The
software repos of the hacking tools in this hacking operating system are
regularly updated with the most stable versions.
Download
BackBox Linux
Samurai Web Testing Framework:
Samurai
Web Testing Framework is basically a live Linux environment that comes
pre-configured to work as a web pen-testing platform. The framework
contains multiple free and open source hacking tools for detecting
vulnerabilities in websites. It’s often called the best operating system
for Web Penetration Testing.
Download
Samurai Web Testing Framework
Pentoo Linux:
Based
on Gentoo Linux, Pentoo is a pen testing operating system that is
available as a 32 and 64-bit installable Live CD. You can also use
Pentoo on top of an existing Gentoo Linux installation. This XFCE-based
distro comes with persistence support that allows you to save all the
changes you make before running off a USB stick.
This excellent
hacking operating system comes with a wide variety of tools that fall
under categories like Exploit, Cracker, Database, Scanner etc. This
Gentoo derivative inherits the Gentoo Hardened feature set that brings
additional control and configuration.
Download
Pentoo Linux
DEFT Linux:
The
open source Linux distribution DEFT stands for Digital Evidence and
Forensic Toolkit. It’s based on Ubuntu and built around the DART
(Digital Advanced Response Toolkit) software. It comes with many popular
forensic tools and documents that can be used by ethical hackers,
penetration testers, IT security specialists, and other individuals.
Download
DEFT Linux
Caine:
Caine
is an Ubuntu-based security-focused distro that is available as a live
disk. It stands for Computer Aided Investigation Environment and can
also be run from the hard disk after installation. This Linux distro
comes with a wide range of tools to help you in system forensics.
Caine
comes with a large number of database, memory, forensics, and network
analysis applications. This distro for ethical hacking also features
common applications like web browsers, email clients, document editors
etc. for usual computing purposes.
Download
Caine
Network Security Toolkit (NST):
Network
Security Toolkit is a Fedora-based Linux distro that runs on 32 and
64-bit platforms. This bootable live CD was created to give you an
access to 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.
Download
Network Security Toolkit
BlackArch Linux:
BlackArch
Linux is available as a complete Linux distribution for security
researchers and ethical hackers. It’s derived from Arch Linux and one
can also install the BlackArch Linux components on top of it.
The
constantly growing repo of this useful operating system for hacking
purposes is stuffed with more than 1400 tools that are thoroughly tested
before being added to the codebase.
Download
BlackArch Linux
Bugtraq:
Available
in Debian, Ubuntu, and OpenSuSe, Bugtraq is famous for its electronic
mailing list that is purely dedicated to computer security. The issues
that are covered are vulnerability discussion, security-related
announcements, exploitation methods etc. The Bugtraq Team consists of
experienced hackers and developers that offer a great service for
ethicals and pen testers.
Bugtraq comes with tons of pen testing
tools including mobile forensic tools, malware testing tools and other
software developed by the Bugtraq-Community.
Download
Bugtraq
Did you find our list of the best operating system for hacking purposes useful? Share your views in the comments below.
