Kali Linux Download Live Boot: A Complete Guide
Kali Linux is one of the most popular and powerful operating systems for penetration testing and security auditing. It is an open-source, Debian-based Linux distribution that comes with over 600 tools for various information security tasks, such as hacking, forensics, reverse engineering, and more.
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But what if you want to use Kali Linux without installing it on your computer? What if you want to have a portable and customizable version of Kali Linux that you can carry in your pocket and run on any available system? That's where a live boot USB comes in handy.
A live boot USB is a USB drive that contains a bootable version of an operating system that can run directly from the USB drive without affecting the host system. You can use a live boot USB to test, troubleshoot, or repair a system, or to perform security assessments without leaving any traces on the host system.
In this article, we will show you how to create a live boot USB for Kali Linux, how to boot from it, and how to use some of the Kali Linux tools from it. By the end of this article, you will be able to run Kali Linux from a USB drive and perform various security tasks with it.
How to create a live boot USB for Kali Linux
Creating a live boot USB for Kali Linux is not very difficult, but you will need some things before you start:
A verified copy of the appropriate ISO image of the latest Kali build image for the system you'll be running it on. You can download it from .
A USB drive, 8GB or larger.
A tool to write the ISO image to the USB drive. We recommend Etcher or Rufus for Windows users, and dd or Etcher for Linux users.
Once you have these things ready, you can follow these steps to create your live boot USB:
How to write the ISO image to a USB drive using Etcher or Rufus on Windows
Plug your USB drive into an available USB port on your Windows PC, note which drive designator (e.g. G:\\ ) it uses once it mounts.
Launch Etcher or Rufus. Both are free and easy-to-use tools that can write ISO images to USB drives.
Click Flash from file (Etcher) or Select (Rufus), and locate the Kali Linux ISO file that you downloaded.
Click Select target (Etcher) or Device (Rufus), and choose the USB drive that you want to make bootable.
Click Flash! (Etcher) or Start (Rufus) once ready. Note that this will erase all data on your USB drive, so make sure you have backed up anything important before proceeding.
Wait for the process to finish. You may get a UAC prompt asking for administrator privileges that you will need to accept.
Once the tool alerts you that the process is complete, you can safely eject your USB drive. You have successfully created a live boot USB for Kali Linux.
How to write the ISO image to a USB drive using dd or Etcher on Linux
Plug your USB drive into an available USB port on your Linux PC, note which device name (e.g. /dev/sdb ) it uses once it mounts. You can use the command lsblk to list all the block devices on your system and identify your USB drive.
If you want to use dd, a command-line tool that can write raw data to a device, you will need to unmount your USB drive first. You can use the command umount /dev/sdb* (replace /dev/sdb with your device name) to do so.
If you want to use Etcher, a graphical tool that can write ISO images to USB drives, you can skip the previous step and launch Etcher.
If you are using dd, run the following command in a terminal window (replace /dev/sdb with your device name and kali-linux.iso with your ISO file name): sudo dd if=kali-linux.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M status=progress. Note that this will erase all data on your USB drive, so make sure you have backed up anything important before proceeding.
If you are using Etcher, click Flash from file and locate the Kali Linux ISO file that you downloaded. Then click Select target and choose the USB drive that you want to make bootable. Then click Flash! once ready.
Wait for the process to finish. You may be asked for your password to grant root privileges.
Once the tool alerts you that the process is complete, you can safely eject your USB drive. You have successfully created a live boot USB for Kali Linux.
How to boot from a live USB for Kali Linux
Now that you have created your live boot USB for Kali Linux, you can use it to boot into Kali Linux on any compatible system. Here are the steps to do so:
How to set the BIOS/UEFI settings to boot from USB
Insert your live boot USB into an available USB port on the system that you want to boot from.
Turn on or restart the system and press the key that opens the BIOS/UEFI settings menu. This key may vary depending on the manufacturer and model of your system, but it is usually one of the following: F1, F2, F10, F12, Esc, or Del.
Navigate to the boot order or priority section of the BIOS/UEFI settings menu and move the USB device to the top of the list. This will make the system try to boot from the USB device first before any other devices.
Save and exit the BIOS/UEFI settings menu and reboot the system.
How to choose the boot options for Kali Linux
When the system boots from the live boot USB, you will see a menu with several options for Kali Linux. You can use the arrow keys and Enter to select an option, or wait for 10 seconds for the default option to be chosen automatically.
The options are as follows:
Kali Live: This option will run Kali Linux in live mode, which means that it will not make any changes to the host system or the USB drive. Any changes made in live mode will be lost when you reboot or shut down Kali Linux.
Kali Live (failsafe): This option is similar to Kali Live, but it will use minimal graphics and drivers in case of compatibility issues with some hardware or systems.
Kali Live (forensic mode): This option is similar to Kali Live, but it will not mount any of the host system's drives or swap space. This is useful for forensic analysis or data recovery without altering any evidence on the host system.
Kali Live (encrypted persistence): This option will run Kali Linux in live mode with encrypted persistence, which means that it will use a portion of the USB drive to store any changes made in live mode in an encrypted format. This way, you can have a customized and secure version of Kali Linux that can be accessed only with a passphrase. You will need to set up persistence on your live boot USB before using this option.
Kali Live (persistence): This option will run Kali Linux in live mode with persistence, which means that it will use a portion of the USB drive to store any changes made in live mode. This way, you can have a customized version of Kali Linux that can be accessed without a passphrase. You will need to set up persistence on your live boot USB before using this option.
Kali Live USB Persistence (encrypted): This option is similar to Kali Live (encrypted persistence), but it will use the entire USB drive for encrypted persistence, leaving no space for other files or partitions. You will need to create an encrypted live boot USB before using this option.
Kali Live USB Persistence: This option is similar to Kali Live (persistence), but it will use the entire USB drive for persistence, leaving no space for other files or partitions. You will need to create a persistent live boot USB before using this option.
Install: This option will launch the graphical installer for Kali Linux, which will allow you to install Kali Linux on your hard drive or another USB drive. Note that this will erase all data on the target drive, so make sure you have backed up anything important before proceeding.
Advanced options: This option will show more options for booting Kali Linux, such as debugging mode, expert mode, rescue mode, and hardware detection mode.
Memory test: This option will run a memory test on your system using Memtest86+, which can help you identify any memory errors or issues.
Select the option that suits your needs and press Enter to boot into Kali Linux.
How to set up persistence on Kali Linux live USB
Persistence is a feature that allows you to save any changes made in live mode on your USB drive, so that you can have a customized and consistent version of Kali Linux that can be used across different systems. Persistence can be either encrypted or unencrypted, depending on your preference and security needs.
To set up persistence on your live boot USB, you will need to follow these steps:
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Boot into Kali Linux from your live boot USB using any of the live options.
Open a terminal window and run the command fdisk -l to list all the partitions on your USB drive. Note the device name of your USB drive (e.g. /dev/sdb) and the size of the free space available on it (e.g. 7.5G).
Create a new partition on your USB drive using the command fdisk /dev/sdb (replace /dev/sdb with your device name). You will need to enter the following commands in order:
n to create a new partition.
p to make it a primary partition.
3 to make it the third partition.
Enter twice to accept the default values for the first and last sectors.
w to write the changes and exit fdisk.
Create a file system on the new partition using the command mkfs.ext4 -L persistence /dev/sdb3 (replace /dev/sdb3 with your partition name). This will format the partition with ext4 file system and label it as persistence.
Create a mount point for the new partition using the command mkdir -p /mnt/my_usb.
Mount the new partition using the command mount /dev/sdb3 /mnt/my_usb (replace /dev/sdb3 with your partition name).
Create a configuration file for persistence using the command echo "/ union" > /mnt/my_usb/persistence.conf. This will tell Kali Linux to use the persistence partition as a union file system, which means that any changes made in live mode will be merged with the original file system on the USB drive.
Unmount the new partition using the command umount /dev/sdb3 (replace /dev/sdb3 with your partition name).
If you want to encrypt your persistence partition, you will need to follow these additional steps:
Install cryptsetup package using the command apt update && apt install -y cryptsetup.
Create an encrypted container on the new partition using the command cryptsetup --verbose --verify-passphrase luksFormat /dev/sdb3 (replace /dev/sdb3 with your partition name). You will need to enter and confirm a passphrase that will be used to unlock the encrypted container. Choose a strong and memorable passphrase, as you will need it every time you boot from the live boot USB.
Open the encrypted container using the command cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb3 my_usb (replace /dev/sdb3 with your partition name and my_usb with any name you like). You will need to enter the passphrase that you created in the previous step.
Create a file system on the encrypted container using the command mkfs.ext4 -L persistence /dev/mapper/my_usb (replace my_usb with the name you chose in the previous step). This will format the encrypted container with ext4 file system and label it as persistence.
Create a mount point for the encrypted container using the command mkdir -p /mnt/my_usb.
Mount the encrypted container using the command mount /dev/mapper/my_usb /mnt/my_usb (replace my_usb with the name you chose in the previous step).
Create a configuration file for persistence using the command echo "/ union" > /mnt/my_usb/persistence.conf. This will tell Kali Linux to use the persistence partition as a union file system, as explained before.
Unmount the encrypted container using the command umount /dev/mapper/my_usb (replace my_usb with the name you chose in the previous step).
Close the encrypted container using the command cryptsetup luksClose /dev/mapper/my_usb (replace my_usb with the name you chose in the previous step).
You have successfully set up persistence on your live boot USB. You can reboot your system and choose one of the persistence options from the boot menu to use it.
How to use Kali Linux tools from a live USB
Kali Linux comes with a plethora of tools for various information security tasks, such as hacking, forensics, reverse engineering, and more. You can access these tools from a live USB and use them to perform security assessments or learn new skills. Here are some tips on how to use Kali Linux tools from a live USB:
How to access the Kali Linux tools menu
The easiest way to access the Kali Linux tools menu is to click on the Applications menu on the top left corner of the screen and then select Kali Linux. You will see a list of categories that contain different tools for different purposes. You can browse through these categories and select any tool that you want to use.
You can also search for a specific tool by typing its name in the search box on the top right corner of the screen. You will see a list of matching results that you can click on to launch the tool.
You can also access the Kali Linux tools menu from a terminal window by typing kali-menu. This will open a text-based menu that you can navigate using the arrow keys and Enter. You can also type kali-menu -h to see more options and commands for using this menu.
How to update and install new tools on Kali Linux live USB
If you are using persistence on your live boot USB, you can update and install new tools on Kali Linux without losing them when you reboot or shut down. To do so, you will need to follow these steps:
Open a terminal window and run the command sudo apt update to update the list of available packages and their versions.
Run the command sudo apt upgrade to upgrade the installed packages to their latest versions. You may be asked to confirm some changes or actions during this process.
Run the command sudo apt install kali-linux-default to install the default set of tools that come with Kali Linux. You can also replace kali-linux-default with other metapackages that contain different sets of tools, such as kali-linux-large, kali-linux-everything, or kali-linux-top10. You can see the list of available metapackages by typing apt-cache search kali-linux.
Run the command sudo apt install tool-name to install a specific tool that you want to use. You can replace tool-name with the name of the tool that you are looking for, such as nmap, metasploit, or wireshark. You can also search for a tool by typing apt-cache search tool-name.
You have successfully updated and installed new tools on your live boot USB. You can use them from the Kali Linux tools menu or from a terminal window.
How to use some common tools for penetration testing and security auditing
Kali Linux offers a wide range of tools for various information security tasks, such as hacking, forensics, reverse engineering, and more. However, some of the most common and popular tools are used for penetration testing and security auditing, which are the processes of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in systems, networks, or applications. Here are some examples of how to use some of these tools from a live boot USB:
How to use nmap for network scanning and enumeration
nmap is a powerful tool that can scan and enumerate various aspects of a network, such as hosts, ports, services, operating systems, firewalls, and more. You can use nmap to discover potential targets and gather information about them before launching an attack. Here are some examples of how to use nmap from a terminal window:
To scan a single host or IP address, type nmap host-or-ip. For example, nmap 192.168.1.1.
To scan a range of hosts or IP addresses, type nmap host-or-ip-range. For example, nmap 192.168.1.1-10.
To scan a subnet or network, type nmap subnet-or-network. For example, nmap 192.168.1.0/24.
To scan a host or network using a specific port or port range, type nmap -p port-or-port-range host-or-network. For example, nmap -p 80 192.168.1.0/24.
To scan a host or network using a specific scan type, such as TCP SYN scan (-sS), TCP connect scan (-sT), UDP scan (-sU), or stealth scan (-sS), type nmap -s scan-type host-or-network. For example, nmap -sS 192.168.1.0/24.
To scan a host or network using a specific service or protocol version detection (-sV), operating system detection (-O), or script scanning (-sC), type nmap -sV -O -sC host-or-network. For example, nmap -sV -O -sC 192.168.1.0/24.
To save the scan results to a file in a specific format, such as normal (-oN), grepable (-oG), XML (-oX), or JSON (-oJ), type nmap -o format file-name host-or-network. For example, nmap -oX scan.xml 192.168.1.0/24.
To see more options and commands for using nmap, type nmap -h or visit .
How to use metasploit for vulnerability exploitation and post-exploitation
metasploit is a framework that can automate and simplify the process of exploiting vulnerabilities in systems, networks, or applications. It contains hundreds of modules that can perform various tasks, such as scanning, enumeration, exploitation, payload delivery, privilege escalation, persistence, pivoting, and more. You can use metasploit to exploit known or unknown vulnerabilities in your target and gain access to their system or data. Here are some examples of how to use metasploit from a terminal window:
To launch metasploit, type msfconsole. This will open the metasploit console, where you can interact with the framework and its modules.
To search for a module that matches a keyword, type search keyword. For example, search ssh.
To see the details and options of a module, type info module-name. For example, info exploit/linux/ssh/sshexec.
To use a module, type use module-name. For example, use exploit/linux/ssh/sshexec.
To see the options of a module, type show options. This will show you the required and optional parameters that you need to set for the module to work.
To set an option for a module, type set option-name value. For example, set RHOSTS 192.168.1.0/24.
To run a module, type run or exploit. This will execute the module and try to exploit the target.
To see the sessions that you have opened with your exploits, type sessions. This will show you the list of active sessions that you can interact with.
To interact with a session, type sessions -i session-id. For example, sessions -i 1.
To see more options and commands for using metasploit, type help or visit .
How to use wireshark for network traffic analysis and capture
wireshark is a tool that can analyze and capture network traffic in real time or from a saved file. It can display various details and statistics about the network packets, such as source and destination addresses, protocols, ports, payloads, and more. You can use wireshark to monitor network activity, troubleshoot network problems, or perform network forensics. Here are some examples of how to use wireshark from a graphical interface:
To launch wireshark, type wireshark. This will open the wireshark window, where you can see the list of available network interfaces that you can capture traffic from.
To start capturing traffic from an interface, click on the interface name or click on the blue shark fin icon on the top left corner of the window. This will start capturing and displaying the network packets in real time.
To stop capturing traffic from an interface, click on the red square icon on the top left corner of the window. This will stop capturing and save the captured packets in a temporary file.
To save the captured packets in a permanent file, click on File > Save As and choose a name and location for your file. You can also choose a format for your file, such as pcapng (the default), pcap (the legacy), or csv (comma-separated values).
To open a saved file of captured packets, click on File > Open and locate your file. You can also drag and drop your file into the wireshark window.
To filter the displayed packets by a specific criterion, type an expression in the filter box on the top of the window and press Enter. For example, ip.addr == 192.168.1.1.
To see more details about a packet, click on it in the packet list pane. This will show you the packet header and payload in the packet details pane and the packet bytes in the packet bytes pane.
To see more options and commands for using wireshark, click on Help > Contents or visit .
Conclusion
Kali Linux is a powerful operating system for penetration testing and security auditing. It comes with over 600 tools for various information security tasks, such as hacking, forensics, reverse engineering, and more. You can use Kali Linux without installing it on your computer by creating a live boot USB that can run directly from the USB drive without affecting the host system. You can also set up persistence on your live boot USB to save any changes made in live mode on your USB drive. You can use Kali Linux tools from your live boot USB to perform various security tasks or learn new skills. In this article, we showed you how to create a live boot USB for Kali Linux, how to boot from it, and how to use some of the Kali Linux tools from it. We hope you found this article helpful and informative. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Happy hacking!
FAQs
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about Kali Linux download live boot:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a live boot USB for Kali Linux?
Some of the advantages of using a live boot USB for Kali Linux are:
You can use Kali Linux without installing it on your computer or affecting the host system.
You can have a portable and customizable version of Kali Linux that you can carry in your pocket and run on any available system.
You can use persistence to save any changes made in live mode on your USB drive.
You can use encryption to protect your persistence data from unauthorized access.
Some of the disadvantages of using a live boot USB for Kali Linux are:
You may experience slower performance or reduced functionality compared to installing Kali Linux on your hard drive or another USB drive.
You may encounter compatibility issues with some hardware or systems that do not support booting from USB.
You may lose your persistence data if you lose or damage your USB drive.
How can I update the Kali Linux ISO image on my live boot USB?
If you want to update the Kali Linux ISO image on your live boot USB, you will need to download the latest ISO image from and write it to your USB drive using the same tool and method that you used to create your live boot USB. Note that this will erase all data on your USB drive, including your persistence data, so make sure you have backed up anything important before proceeding.
How can I increase the size of my persistence partition on my live boot USB?
If you want to increase the size of your persistence partition on your live boot USB, you will need to resize the partition using a tool such as GParted or fdisk. Note that this may involve deleting and recreating the partition, which will erase all data on it, so make sure you have backed up anything important before proceeding. You will also need to update the configuration file for persistence by typing echo "/ union" > /mnt/my_usb/persistence.conf after mounting the new partition.
How can I change the passphrase of my encrypted persistence partition on my live boot USB?
If you want to change the passphrase of your encrypted persistence partition on your live boot USB, you will need to open the encrypted container using the command cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb3 my_usb (replace /dev/sdb3 with your partition name and my_usb with any name you like) and enter the current passphrase. Then you will need to change the passphrase using the command cryptsetup luksChangeKey /dev/mapper/my_usb (replace my_usb with the name you chose in the previous step) and enter the new passphrase. Then you will need to close the encrypted container using the command cryptsetup luksClose /dev/mapper/my_usb (replace my_usb with the name you chose in the previous step).
How can I install additional software or packages on my live boot USB?
If you are using persistence on your live boot USB, you can install additional software or packages on Kali Linux using the command sudo apt install package-name. You can also use other methods such as downloading and installing .deb files, compiling from source code, or using snap or flatpak packages. However, note that some software or packages may not work properly or may conflict with other components of Kali Linux, so use them at your own risk.
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