Kali Linux 2026.1 is now available, introducing eight new tools, a kernel upgrade to version 6.18, a refresh of the annual theme, and a new BackTrack mode for the Kali-Undercover feature. The Kali Team also added 25 new packages and updated 183 existing ones in this release.
Kali Linux is a Debian-based distribution designed for penetration testers, security researchers, and ethical hackers. It can be run as a live environment or installed as a full operating system, with support for hardware such as Raspberry Pi devices and Android phones through Kali NetHunter.
Eight New Tools In Kali Linux 2026.1
The tools included in this release have been added to the Kali network repositories:
- AdaptixC2, an extensible post-exploitation and adversarial emulation framework
- Atomic-Operator, which runs Atomic Red Team tests across multiple operating system environments
- Fluxion, a security auditing and social engineering research tool
- GEF, an extension for GDB that offers advanced debugging features
- MetasploitMCP, a server for Metasploit
- SSTImap, an automatic server-side template injection detection tool with an interactive interface
- WPProbe, a fast tool for enumerating WordPress plugins; and tool
- XSStrike, an advanced cross-site scripting scanner.
BackTrack Mode Added to Kali-Undercover
Kali-Undercover used to let users switch the Kali desktop to a layout that mimics a standard Windows 10 interface. The latest 2026.1 update introduces a second mode that replicates the look of BackTrack 5, Kali's predecessor.
This mode features the original BackTrack wallpaper, color scheme, and window themes. It can be activated from the application menu or by running a command in the terminal. Running the same command again will revert the desktop back to Kali’s default theme.
Theme Refresh
The Kali Team has refreshed its visual theme as part of the traditional first release of the year. The update brings new desktop wallpapers, tweaks to the graphical installer interface, and improvements to the boot menu and login screen.
Kali NetHunter Updates
The Kali NetHunter Android app received several fixes in this release, including a HID permission check, a fix for the WPS scan bug, and a correction for the back button issue.
How To Upgrade To Kali Linux 2026.1
Existing Kali installations can be upgraded using the following commands:
echo "deb http://http.kali.org/kali kali-rolling main contrib non-free non-free-firmware" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list sudo apt update && sudo apt -y full-upgrade cp -vrbi /etc/skel/. ~/ [ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -fAfter completing the upgrade, run grep VERSION /etc/os-release to confirm the installed version.
Users running Kali on Windows Subsystem for Linux should verify they are on WSL 2 before upgrading, as WSL 1 has limited support for graphical applications. Run wsl -l -v In a Windows command prompt, to check the current WSL version.
Fresh ISO downloads for new installs and live distributions are available on the Kali Linux website. The full changelog for 2026.1 is published there as well.
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