---
title: "What is Kali Linux? | Daniel Christensen"
canonical_url: "https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/kali-linux"
last_updated: "2026-09-02T13:55:00.035Z"
locale: en
meta:
  description: "A Linux operating system built for security testing, with hundreds of hacking tools preinstalled."
  "og:description": "A Linux operating system built for security testing, with hundreds of hacking tools preinstalled."
  "og:title": "What is Kali Linux?"
---

[← All terms](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary)Glossary

# Kali Linux

A Linux operating system built for security testing, with hundreds of hacking tools preinstalled.

Also called: Kali

Kali Linux is a Linux distribution built for penetration testing and security analysis. It ships with hundreds of tools preinstalled, everything from network scanners to password crackers, and is the de facto standard in the industry and in security education.

Installing Kali makes no one a hacker, any more than a toolbox makes someone a carpenter. But it’s usually where the journey starts, and it was for me too.

Most people run Kali in a virtual machine or from a USB stick, keeping the test environment separate from the machine they use for everything else. You don’t strictly need Kali to learn security, the tools exist for other systems too, but it’s convenient not to have to install fifty things yourself before getting started.

One thing matters more than the rest: these tools are meant for systems you are allowed to test. If you want to practise, there are places built for exactly that, such as CTF competitions and training labs where the target is set up to be attacked. Scanning your neighbour’s network because it was easy isn’t learning, it’s a criminal case.

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