Installing Kali Linux Tools on Ubuntu for Pen Testing

With over 600 pre-configured tools for network analysis, vulnerability scanning, password cracking, forensics and more, Kali Linux has become the hacker‘s hammer for security testing and pentest operations. However, Kali‘s minimal install and focus on pen testing leaves something to be desired for general desktop use.

This is where blending the best of both distros comes in. By essentially grafting Kali‘s versatile security toolkit right into Ubuntu, we engineer an elite penetration testing workstation out of an already solid daily driver OS.

In this advanced guide, I‘ll demonstrate expert-level techniques for:

• Streamlining the integration with Katoolin scripts
• Supercharging Ubuntu safely with 2000+ Kali packages
• Building an methodology-driven pentest lab within your workstation
• Expanding skills through industry certs, CTFs and more

Follow these steps and commands to go beyond a standard Kali "live boot" experience without the hassles of maintaining two separate installations.

Weighing Ubuntu Against Kali: A Desktop Pentest Platform

Developed by Offensive Security through funding by Rapid7, Kali Linux has dominated the pen testing scene since its inception in 2013. Kali continues the lineage of the previous BackTrack distro focused specifically on security auditing.

As an ARM or x86 barebones Debian build, Kali is configured for stability during assessments – not for user comfort. By contrast, Canonical crafts Ubuntu desktop editions around usability, from handy GUI apps to cross-platform compatibility.

Comparing environments and software shows the clear tradeoffs:

	Ubuntu 22.04 LTS	Kali 2022.1
Desktop Env.	GNOME 42.x / KDE Plasma	Xfce 4.14
Bundled Apps	LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Chromium	Minimal terminal apps
Kernel Version	5.15.x w/ ZFS on Linux	5.10 w/ wireless patches

Clearly Ubuntu is geared more towards daily work while Kali focuses solely on pen testing functionality. By installing the over 2000 packages from Kali‘s repository directly within Ubuntu, we get that usability combined with the ultimate hacker‘s toolkit!

Now let‘s set up our subject. First, meet the prerequisites:

Preparing Your Beefy Ubuntu Machine

While any 64-bit Ubuntu can utilize Katoolin, I recommend at least Ubutnu 22.04 LTS running on:

• 15 GB storage minimum (budget for tools)
• 16 GB RAM advised for VMs
• A dedicated GPU for password cracking

Once booted inside Ubuntu, fully update the system:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Refreshing packages ensures we have all needed compilers, dependencies, configs for integrating Kali tools later.

20% of assessed systems still run outdated software vulnerable to published exploits. Keep production systems patched!

We‘ll also need Git for cloning code repositories and Python 3.x to execute scripts later:

sudo apt install git python3 python3-pip -y

With fundamentals set, create a user account with sudo privileges to install programs outside of base paths.

Our pen testing command center is prepped! Now we integrate Kali‘s DNA.

Managing Repositories Securely

At the heart of any Linux distribution is its repositories – collections of software packages made available through apt. Public repos allow downloading, authenticating, installing and upgrading numerous apps transparently.

Debian based systems like Ubuntu and Kali use /etc/apt/sources.list plus /etc/apt/sources.list.d/* files to define all known repos. Third party repos get added on new lines in these files. However, mixing repos can potentially cause stability issues or security concerns when outdated external packages creep in.

By manually assigning priorities and employing protections like package pinning, we can safely inject Kali‘s penetration testing tools into Ubuntu while still keeping the core system secure and receiving critical updates.

Now let‘s automate managing repos with Katoolin!

Streamlining Kali Integration with Katoolin

Instead of directly editing sources.list or using GUI tools, we can handle the entire Kali repository integration process through the clever Katoolin script. Let‘s set up and apply Katoolin for simplicity and security managing 2000+ packages.

Log in as your sudo user and run:

wget -q -O - archive.kali.org/archive-key.asc | sudo apt-key add -

git clone https://github.com/LionSec/katoolin.git

sudo cp katoolin/katoolin.py /usr/bin/katoolin
sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/katoolin  

Katoolin will automate adding Kali‘s archive signing key for verification, clone the tool‘s git repo, copy the script to globally executable paths.

With Katoolin ready, type sudo katoolin to bring up the tool dashboard:

  1) Add Kali repositories
  2) Update Kali repositories
  3) Remove Kali repositories
  4) Reset all changes

Select option 1 to safely append Kali package sources along with the public key to authenticate downloads. Option 2 will then pull actual package listings and make tools available through apt.

Now Kali‘s pentest arsenal integrates non-destructively into Ubuntu! Next we‘ll explore useful tools to install.

Equipping Your Pen Testing Toolkit

With over 2000 pre-configured packages now available through standard Ubuntu apt commands, let‘s prioritize some pen testing essentials to grab.

I recommend starting with recon and scanning tools to stealthily map your subject network and uncover potential attack vectors before trying exploitation.

Katoolin conveniently groups tools by info gathering, vulnerability analysis, wireless tests, web apps pen testing, post exploitation forensics and more. Here are some of my favorite beginner-friendly ones:

Network Reconnaissance

• Nmap – Powerful TCP/UDP port scanner detecting OS, services, open firewall ports.
• Netdiscover – ARP scanning resolving live host IP/MACs on LAN segments.
• Wireshark – Network traffic capture and protocol analysis supporting filters.

Vulnerability Scanning

• OpenVAS – Full-featured framework of vulnerability tests and integrated NVTs.
• Lynis – Lightweight auditing tool inspecting system hardening configurations.
• Nikto – Web server scanner detecting outdated software with public exploits.

Wireless Security

• Aircrack-ng – Suite for WEP/WPA cracking, packet injection, MITM attacks.
• MDK3 – Toolkit for various wireless network denial of service (DoS) attacks.
• Wifite – Automated attack script targeting networks with weak passwords.

I‘ll demonstrate installing the powerful network mapper nmap:

sudo katoolin
1) Information gathering
1) Nmap
y

Review any installation prompts, and we‘re done! Verify nmap is now in our path:

which nmap

/usr/bin/nmap

Success! We can now leverage nmap and many more tools through Katoolin to conduct a full penetration test entirely within Ubuntu!

Designing a Methodical Pentest Lab

With an array of security tools at your fingertips, the logical next step is putting them into practice individually and in combination. An optimal approach follows the sequential methodology codified in industry frameworks like PTES:

1. Reconnaissance – Discover networks, fingerprint services, map topology
2. Scanning – Detect vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, weaknesses
3. Exploitation – Test execution paths, attempt access escalation
4. Post-exploitation – Gather data artifacts, maintain persistence
5. Analysis – Document sequencing, determine sensitivity of compromised assets

Let‘s set up an intentionally vulnerable target environment to ethically attack following this step-by-step campaign:

1. Install Vulnerable by Design base images for Metasploitable Linux or Windows.

2. Create an isolated host-only VLAN for VM instances using VirtualBox.

3. Launch recon with nmap scans, enumerating open ports and services.

4. Discover a web app vulnerability like Shellshock (CVE-2014-6271) using nmap scripts.

5. Exploit it as a limited user with Metasploit payloads to get a remote shell.

6. Escalate privileges to root/SYSTEM level access with kernel exploits.

7. Extract password hashes, download cached files, plant backdoors demonstrating "owning" the system.

Analyzing traffic captures in Wireshark and logged events throughout this attack path teaches the cause/effect of penetrating insecure configurations. Repeat the cycle across other vulnerable images to test exploitation resilience.

This full Linux pentest lab conductible safely in Ubuntu highlights the sheer flexibility unlocked by fusing Kali‘s tools into the environment. But honing skills never stops at the workstation…

Expanding Your Security Ops Skillset

The journey goes forever – take it from an industry practitioner holding credentials like OSCP and GPEN. Beyond just using tools, here are my top suggestions for cementing hacking know-how:

• Certify your methodology through accredited pentester programs – the gold standard being Offensive Security‘s PWK course and OSCP exam. Their material dives deep into structured thinking for professional audits.

• Practice, practice! Bookmark sites offering vulnerable test images like Hack The Box, VulnHub and others for always-available honing.

• Stay on top of latest news and tools by engaging the infosec community. Follow respected researchers sharing techniques on Twitter and catch up with the ThreatWire podcast.

• Give back to open source projects that make our work possible! Contribute code fixes, docs, struggled-through experience on GitHub. Or just donate to critical initiatives like the Kali project itself.

If you found this guide helpful or have any other questions, feel free to reach me at @infosec_mentor on Twitter! Now go explore Ubuntu‘s potential as the ultimate pentest battlestation.