Finally, it’s here! We’re happy to announce the availability of theKali Linux 2017.1 rolling release, which brings with it a bunch of exciting updates and features. As with all new releases, you have the common denominator ofupdated packages, an updated kernel that provides more and better hardware support, as well as a slew of updated tools – but this release has a few more surprises up its sleeve.

A couple of weeks back we added more HTTPS support to our Kali infrastructure, and wanted to give our users some guidance and point out what’s new. While ourKali Linux download page (and shasums) has always been served via HTTPS, our mirror redirector has not. Now that we generate weekly images, secure access to the mirror redirector has become crucial.

After almost two years in the making, it is with great pride that we announce today our newKali Linux Professional certification – the first and only official certification program that validates one’s proficiency with the Kali Linux distribution. If you’re new to the information security field, or are looking to take your first steps towards a new career in InfoSec, the KLCP is a “must have” foundational certification. Built on the philosophy that “you’ve got to walk before you can run,” the KLCP will give you direct experience with your working environment and a solid foundation toward a future with any professional InfoSec work. As we continually see, those entering the Offensive SecurityPWK program with previous working experience with Kali, and a general familiarity with Linux, tend to do better in the real worldOSCP exam.

We’re happy to announce that we’ve once again listed ourKali Linux images on the Amazon AWS marketplace. You can now spin up an updated Kali machine easily through your EC2 panel. Our current image is a “full” image, which contains all the standard tools available in a full Kali release. Once your instance is running, connect to it with your SSH private key using the “ec2-user” account. Don’t forget to update your Kali instance to get the latest packages and bug fixes. Type as root (or sudo):apt update && apt dist-upgrade. We are “selling” these images on the marketplace forfree, so other than the regular Amazon charges, there are no extras to pay. The Kali team would like to take this opportunity to thank r0khfor his efforts of getting Kali back on track (no pun intended) and working flawlessly in AWS. If you plan to use these Kali images for penetration testing in an AWS environment, make sure you check out the Amazon penetration testing request form.

We’re well recovered from the BlackHat and DEF CON Vegas conferences, and as promised, we’re having our second Kali Rolling ISO release aka Kali 2016.2. This release brings a whole bunch of interesting news and updates into the world of Kali, and we’re excited to tell you all about it.

We have really enjoyed doing theDojo at Black Hat the last few years. It’s been a great opportunity to show off some of the lesser known (but oh so useful)features of Kali Linux as well as interact with the user base. But one of the limitations of the previous structure was that while this was a hands-on exercise, many attendees moved at different paces from each other. So we wanted to move towards more of a “self service” model whereattendees can drop in, have access to the training material, and will be free to work at their own pace. We accomplished with the new model we will be premiering this year, allowing everyone to take as much, or as little, time needed to get a working Kali install customized to their desires. While this is being done,Kali developers will be onsite and interacting with everyone on a consistent basis.