History

Origins: From BackTrack to Kali

The History of Kali Linux

Kali Linux was created and is maintained by Offensive Security, a company focused on penetration testing training and certifications. Before Kali existed, the same team maintained BackTrack Linux, a security‑oriented distribution that bundled many tools but had grown difficult to maintain as a long‑term platform. BackTrack’s update process, package structure, and lack of close alignment with a mainstream base distribution made it harder to keep fully up to date and consistent across installations (Offensive Security, 2025).

To address these limitations, Offensive Security decided to rebuild the project from the ground up as a new distribution based on Debian. The goal was to create a cleaner, more manageable system that followed the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard, used Debian’s packaging model, and could support signed packages and a more disciplined repository structure (Offensive Security, 2025). This is how Kali Linux was born: as a modern successor to BackTrack, designed to support long‑term professional use.

Origins: Whoppix, WHAX, and Auditor

The journey began with Whoppix (“WhiteHat Knoppix”), a Linux distribution based on Knoppix designed for security testing. Following Whoppix, the project evolved into WHAX (WhiteHat Slax), which transitioned the underlying system to Slax, offering improved performance and stability. Around the same time, the Auditor Security Collection emerged, another Knoppix-based distribution packed with security auditing tools.

BackTrack Linux: The Predecessor

In 2006, the WHAX and Auditor projects merged to form BackTrack Linux, which later transitioned from Slackware to Ubuntu as its base. BackTrack quickly became a popular tool among cybersecurity professionals due to its comprehensive suite of penetration testing tools and user-friendly interface. However, BackTrack faced limitations, such as outdated packages and complex maintenance processes, highlighting the need for a more modern, flexible platform.

Kali Linux Emerges

In 2013, Offensive Security released Kali Linux, the successor to BackTrack. Built on a Debian foundation, Kali introduced a rolling release model, making it easier to keep tools and packages up-to-date. From its inception, Kali was designed for customizability and security, offering hundreds of preinstalled tools for penetration testing, digital forensics, reverse engineering, and vulnerability assessment. It also added support for ARM devices, enabling mobile and portable testing environments.

Evolution and Key Features

Over the years, Kali Linux has evolved to meet the changing landscape of cybersecurity:

Kali Linux 1.0 (2013): Initial release with a rolling updates model.
Kali Linux 2.0 “Sana” (2015): Improved interface, updated kernel, expanded ARM support.
Kali Rolling (2016): Continuous updates for tools and software.
Kali 2019.4: Introduced Undercover Mode for stealth operations and default non-root users.
Kali Purple (2023): Focused on defensive security alongside offensive capabilities.

Kali in Modern Cybersecurity

Kali Linux has become the industry standard for penetration testing and ethical hacking. Its open-source nature allows a global community of developers to contribute, ensuring it stays current with emerging threats, including IoT and cloud security. Kali also supports training and certifications, such as the OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional), reinforcing its role as an essential platform for cybersecurity professionals.

Conclusion

From its early days as Whoppix and BackTrack to its current status as a cutting-edge cybersecurity distribution, Kali Linux has consistently empowered professionals with advanced tools, flexibility, and security. Its ongoing development ensures it remains a cornerstone in the world of ethical hacking and penetration testing.

Date	Project Released	Base OS
2004-August-30	Whoppix v2	Knoppix
2005-July-17	WHAX v3	Slax
2006-May-26	BackTrack v1	Slackware Live CD 10.2.0
2007-March-06	BackTrack v2	Slackware Live CD 11.0.0
2008-June-19	BackTrack v3	Slackware Live CD 12.0.0
2010-January-09	BackTrack v4 (Pwnsauce)	Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex)
2011-May-10	BackTrack v5 (Revolution)	Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx)
2013-March-13	Kali Linux v1 (Moto)	Debian 7 (Wheezy)
2015-August-11	Kali Linux v2 (Sana)	Debian 8 (Jessie)
2016-January-16	Kali Linux Rolling	Debian Testing