Kali Linux is a new open source distribution that facilitates penetration testing. But before, you do, check out Kali Linux first. If you want to explore this version, you can download it from this site. The latest version of BackTrack is version 5 release 3 and it came out on August 13, 2012. BackTrack made it easy to create a new VM from the downloaded ISO, perform the assessment, then either archive that VM for future reference or delete it when done to remove the evidence. If you want to see a complete list of all the tools just run 'dpkg -list'. BackTrack contains so many security tools that it is too difficult to list them all. BackTrack made performing a security assessment easier because all of the common tools that you needed were all packaged into one nice distribution and ready to go at a moment's notice. BackTrack is an open-source Linux-based penetration testing toolset. To update Kali, first ensure that /etc/apt/sources.list is properly populated: :~$ cat /etc/apt/sources.Many security practitioners have been using BackTrack to perform their security assessments. Kali has a release four times a year, and follows a loose quarterly schedule.

For this reason, it is a good idea to follow the Kali Twitter, or check the Kali website every few months. If you are using last-snapshot, you will not receive updates until we release the next version of Kali for that year. As Kali is a rolling release, once in a while issues will sneak into rolling and may break a tool that is needed. However, a good practice is that you ensure all tools work before an engagement and during that engagement you should not update. If you need a new version of a tool, or hear about a security update, that may speed up the timetable.

If you have a default installation of Kali, you should be checking for updates every few weeks.

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