Setting Up a Kali VM

Kali Linux is a Linux distribution built with the purpose of being used for penetration testing systems. It comes pre-bundled with a wide variety of tools, ranging from nmap to the Metasploit Framework.

This wiki page has been set up to guide you through setting up a virtual machine (VM) for Kali Linux, such that you can use Kali Linux without installing it as a new operating system.

Setting Up a VM

We recommend that you use VirtualBox in order to run the virtual machine for Kali Linux.

Firstly, you will need to install VirtualBox or VMware (especially for Apple Silicon devices). Click here to be taken to the downloads page for VirtualBox.

When you have installed VirtualBox, you will need to download a copy of Kali Linux. For simplicity's sake, we recommend that you download the Kali Linux image specifically tailored to run on VirtualBox. Click here to be taken to the downloads page for Kali Linux on VMs. Download the corrosponding version to your VM software

If you are running an ARM computer (this includes Apple Silicon), you will not be able to download the pre-built VM images. You will have to download an ARM64 ISO file and set it up from there. Here is a link to that. This just means you may have to do some more customisation during setup.

Once you have downloaded Kali Linux, first extract the zipped image and then go to your virtualisation software to add your VM.

For VirtualBox: In the top bar, there should be a button that says Add. Click this button and select the Kali Linux image that you have downloaded, this should be a .vbox file. When you click Next it will set up the VM.

For VMware Workstation / VMware Player: Open VMware and, on the main screen or top menu, choose Open a Virtual Machine (or File → Open). Navigate to the extracted Kali Linux folder and select the .vmx file. Click Open, and the Kali Linux virtual machine will be added to VMware.

For UTM: Open UTM and click the Create button. Choose Virtualise, then select Boot ISO Image. When prompted, browse to the extracted Kali Linux .iso file and select it. Follow the on-screen steps to configure the virtual machine (such as memory and storage), then click Create. Once complete, select the VM and click Run to start Kali Linux.

Once this is done, select the Kali Linux VM and hit start.

The default username in Kali Linux is kali and the default password is kali. You can log in with these details, or if you set them in the install process, input those here.

You now have a working Kali Linux VM!