Kali Linux is a Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration testing.[4] It is maintained and funded by Offensive Security.[5] The software is based on the DebianTesting branch: most packages Kali uses are imported from the Debian repositories.[6] The tagline of Kali Linux and BackTrack is "The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear", which is displayed on some backgrounds, see this example. Kali Linux has gained immense popularity in the cybersecurity community due to its comprehensive set of tools designed for penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, and reverse engineering.
It was developed by Mati Aharoni and Devon Kearns of Offensive Security through the rewrite of BackTrack, their previous information security testing Linux distribution based on Knoppix.[10]
Kali Linux's popularity grew when it was featured in multiple episodes of the TV series Mr. Robot. Tools highlighted in the show and provided by Kali Linux include Bluesniff, Bluetooth Scanner (btscanner), John the Ripper, Metasploit Framework, Nmap, Shellshock, and Wget.[11][12][13]
Smith, Jesse (April 25, 2016). "Kali Linux 2016.1". DistroWatch Weekly. No. 658. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.