Installing kali on a Virtual Machine

You can also install Kali Linux to a virtual machine environment as a guest operating system. The advantages of this type of installation are that you do not need to prepare a separate physical hard disk partition for the Kali Linux image and can use your existing operating system as is.

We will use VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org) as the virtual machine software. VirtualBox is an open-source virtualization software that is available for Windows, Linux, OS X, and Solaris operating systems.

Unfortunately, there is also a disadvantage to running Kali Linux on a virtual machine; it is slower than running Kali Linux on a physical machine.

There are two options that can be utilized for installing Kali Linux on a virtual machine. The first option is to install the Kali Linux ISO image into a virtual machine. This option will take more time compared to the VMware image installation. The advantage of this method is that you can customize your Kali installation.

Installing Kali Linux from Prebuild VMs

There are a few different ways to install Kali Linux as a prebuilt virtual machine, but one of the most common methods is to use VirtualBox. Here are the general steps you would need to follow:

1. Download and install VirtualBox on your host machine.

Downloads - Oracle VM VirtualBox

Here you will find links to VirtualBox binaries and its source code. By downloading, you agree to the terms and conditions of the respective license. If you're looking for the latest VirtualBox 6.1 packages, see VirtualBox 6.1 builds. Version 6.1 will remain supported until December 2023.

2. Install VirtualBox, if you still need to install it. If you have already installed it, skip this stem.

3. Once installed, Launch  VirtualBox.

4. Download the Kali Linux virtual machine image from the official website.

Get Kali | Kali Linux

Single or multiple boot Kali, giving you complete control over the hardware access (perfect for in-built Wi-Fi and GPU), enabling the best performance. Range of hardware from the leave-behind devices end to high-end modern servers System architecture limits certain packages Not always customized kernel Works on relatively inexpensive & low powered Single Board Computers (SBCs) as well as modern ARM based laptops, which combine high speed with long battery life.

5. Once both files are Downloaded, Extract the Kali Linux virtual machine image.

6. Copy the Extracted Kali Linux virtual Machine Image to the default Machine folder.

7. Now, click the "New" button to create a new virtual machine.

8. Follow the prompts to create the virtual machine.

9. Now, modify the virtual machine's hardware by changing the amount of RAM and Virtual CPU count.

10. Select "Use an Existing Virtual Hard Disk File".

11. Browse for "Kali Linux Virtual Machine Image".

12. Once the Import is successful, click on Next.

13. Now click on Finish.

14. Once Finished, Start the virtual machine. 

15. Once Kali Linux booted up, log in with username: kali, and password: kali.

16. Once logged in, update the repository and install the VirtualBox guest box addition.

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]

└─$ sudo apt-get update

┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]

└─$ sudo apt-get install virtualbox-guest-x11 

Please note that if you are using a VMware workstation with different steps, you need to follow the steps from the VMware website.

Please also note that this is a general guide, and the specific steps may vary depending on your host operating system and version of VirtualBox. You should also ensure that your computer meets the system requirements for a virtual machine.

Installing Kali from the ISO image

To install a Kali Linux ISO image on a virtual machine, the following steps can be used:

1. Create a new virtual machine by selecting New from the VirtualBox toolbar menu:

2. After that, you need to define the virtual machine's name and the operating system's type. Here, we set the VM's name to Kali Linux and we choose Linux for the OS type and Debian for the version:

3. Then, you need to define the VM's base memory size. The more memory you provide, the better the virtual machine will be. Here, we allocated 2048 MB of memory to the Kali Linux virtual machine. Remember that you can't give all of your physical memory to the VM because you still need the memory to run your host operating system:

4. Next, you will be asked to create a virtual hard disk. You can just select the VDI as the hard disk type along with a dynamically allocated virtual disk file. We suggest creating at least a 32 GB virtual hard disk. If you want to install some software packages later on, you may want to create a larger virtual hard disk. Choose to Create a virtual hard disk now and click Continue:

5. Now select a file location and size. Click Continue:

6. Read the dialog box and click Continue:

7. After this, your newly created VM will be listed on the VirtualBox menu:

8. Double-click on the new Kali Linux virtual machine:

9. Using the file icon, navigate to where you have the Kali Linux 2.0 ISO of your choice. Once selected, click Start.

10. Once the installation starts, follow the directions as they were defined in the previous section on installing Kali Linux 2.0.