Kali Linux Virtualization

  Converting VMX to an OVA VMware has  VMX format  which works for VMware products. The other commonly found format which is  OVF , as this is a open standard ( OVA  is OVF but compressed into a single file). There are times where converting between the two formats is required. In order to convert from VMware's VMX to a OVA file, we will use  ovftool . If you already have either VMware workstation or VMware fusion pre-installed, you may already have it (else it can be downloaded as a standalone program for free). Its default locations are: Linux:  /usr/bin/ovftool OS X/macOS:  /Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Library/VMware OVF Tool/ovftool Windows:  C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\OVFTool\ovftool.exe We will be using the  official Kali Linux VMWare image  to convert. To start with unzip it to get access to the vmx within. kali@kali:~$ 7z x kali-linux-2020.4-vmware-amd64.7z ... kali@kali:~$ kali@kali:~$ ls Kali-Linux- *-vmware-amd64.vmwarevm/* vmx Kali-Linu

  Installing Hyper-V Enhanced Session Mode (Guest Tools) Installing "Guest VM Packages", gives a better user experience with VMs in general. This is why since Kali Linux 2019.3, during the  setup process  it should  detect if Kali Linux is inside a VM . If it is, then  automatically install any additional tools  (in Hyper-V's case,  hyperv-daemons ). However, unlike VMware and VirtualBox, more still can be done to improve the experience afterwards. This is because Hyper-V can connect to Virtual Machines using  Remote Desktop Protocol  (RDP). This article will help you to enable the  Enhanced Session Mode , which opens up the possibility of clipboard sharing and windows resizing. Install Start up your Kali Linux virtual machine, open a terminal window and issue the following commands. kali@kali:~$ sudo git clone https://github.com/mimura1133/linux-vm-tools /opt/linux-vm-tools ... kali@kali:~$ kali@kali:~$ sudo chmod 0755 /opt/linux-vm-tools/kali/2020.x/install.sh kali@kali

  Installing VirtualBox Guest Addition (Guest Tools) Installing "Guest Addition", gives a better user experience with VirtualBox VMs  (e.g. proper mouse and screen integration, as well as folder sharing) . This is why since Kali Linux 2019.3, during the  setup process  it should  detect if Kali Linux is inside a VM . If it is, then  automatically install any additional tools  (in VirtualBox's case,  virtualbox-guest-x11 ). You must use  VirtualBox 4.2.xx or higher  in order to take advantage of the improvements, including compatibility updates, and enhanced stability of both the core application and the Guest Additions. virtualbox-guest-x11 Should you decide to create your own VirtualBox installation of Kali Linux  (rather than using our  pre-made VirtualBox images ) , and you want to force a manual reinstall of  virtualbox-guest-x11  (as something has gone wrong), first make sure you are fully updated, then enter the following. kali@kali:~$ sudo apt update ... kali@kali:

  Installing VMware Tools (Guest Tools) Installing "Guest Tools", gives a better user experience with VMware VMs. This is why since Kali Linux 2019.3, during the  setup process  it should  detect if Kali Linux is inside a VM . If it is, then  automatically install any additional tools  (in VMware case,  open-vm-tool ). As of September 2015,  VMware  recommends  using the distribution-specific  open-vm-tools  (OVT)  instead of the VMware Tools package for guest machines. Open-VM-Tools Should you decide to create your own VMware installation of Kali Linux  (rather than using our  pre-made VMware images ) , and you want to force a manual reinstall of  open-vm-tools  (as something has gone wrong), first make sure you are fully updated, then enter the following. kali@kali:~$ sudo apt update ... kali@kali:~$ kali@kali:~$ sudo apt install -y --reinstall open-vm-tools-desktop fuse ... kali@kali:~$ kali@kali:~$ sudo reboot -f kali@kali:~$ Adding Support for Shared Folders When Using O

  Kali inside VirtualBox (Guest VM) This guide is about virtualizing Kali Linux inside of VirtualBox, allowing you to have a Kali VM. This is a great way to use Kali, as it is completely separate from the host, allows you to interact with other VMs (as well as the host machine and other machines on the network), and allows you to revert to snapshots. You may wish to follow our other guide if you are trying to install VirtualBox on Kali Linux (as a host). The guide below is what we use to generate our  pre-made Kali Linux VirtualBox images . You may alter this to your needs. We always generate the images using the  latest version of VirtualBox . You may need to enable virtualization in your BIOS/UEFI for (e.g. Intel VT-x/AMD-V) Wizard Upon starting up VirtualBox, select "New" (Machine -> New). The next screen is "Name and operating system" which is where you name the VM. This name is also used in any filenames (such as the configuration, hard disk and snapshot - w

  Kali inside VMware (Guest VM) This guide is about virtualizing Kali Linux inside of VMware, allowing you to have a Kali VM. This is a great way to use Kali, as it is completely separate from the host, allows you to interact with other VMs (as well as the host, and other machines on the network), and allows you to revert to snapshots. If you are trying to install VMware on Kali Linux (as a host), please see our guide. The guide below is what we use to generate our  pre-made Kali Linux VMware images . You may alter this to your needs. We always generate the images using the latest version of VMware Workstation, as Player and Fusion don't have the same level of functionally and controls over settings. You will need to enable virtualization in your BIOS/UEFI for (e.g. Intel VT-x/AMD-V) Wizard Upon starting up VMware Workstation, select " Create a New Virtual Machine. " When you have the option, select " Custom (advanced) " for the Virtual Machine Configuration, as