So we want to be a Hacker, we have all watched Mr Robot, and the fact Elliot has some pretty cool tools at his disposal to do what he wants/needs to get done.
Well that is Kali Linux and it’s pretty awesome! What is even better you run it off a USB so you don’t have to fully install the operating system.
So today, I am going to do just that, I am going to install Kali Linux on a USB, but I want it to remember any changes I make (save a text document for example) so a persistent version of Kali on a USB.
For this I have a 16GB USB (happens to be the same one I used to install Linux Mint on my old ThinkPad) Right now I am reformatting the USB so it is back in a clean writable state.
I would like to point out I am no Linux expert especially Kali Linux so I am doing what most if do, I went on YouTube and found a video to follow along. This guy is great and I strongly suggest you subscribe as he is a wealth of knowledge.
So once you have your fresh USB you will need to download the .iso file.
You will need to go to https://www.kali.org/ and select Downloads.
There are a few options and we will go through and select the correct option next for our USB.
There a few options but we want the Live Boot downloads page and select the right version for the operating system you are going to use the USB to boot from.
Do not download to the USB just yet, instead save it to the downloads folder.
The tool I am using to write the .iso file to my USB is Etcher, a well known tool for jobs like this. It is free and a good application. It is supported on all major operating systems.
Click the Flash from file, find the location where you downloaded you ISO and follow the instructions on Etcher.
This will take anywhere for 20 minutes to 30 minutes to complete (what you do with that time is on your own conscious).
Once done, you will need to restart your computer/laptop and get into the Bios. Once in there you will need to do two things
1 – Turn off “Secure Boot”
2 – Set you boot up order so that it boots from the USB instead of your normal hard-drive.
Once done restart your computer, it will load up to the Boot menu, even if it’s a little slower (running of a USB remember).
Use your keyboard and select Live USB Persistence the forth from the top.
We can use the Encrypted Persistence but it is out of scope for this article.
Once loaded, you will have a band new shiny desktop of Kali Linux with all the tools and goodness of a desktop installation.
If you have a look all the tools you would expect is there, now you can connect to wifi and do whatever you like. But remember the minute you reboot or remove that USB you will have to do it all again from scratch, unless you have persistence.
We are now going to test that persistence is work with you Kali Linux set up. Open the simple text editor, create a document save it to your desktop. Call it something simple like “Test.txt”.
Now simply reboot and check that the text file you added to the desktop is still there.
If it is then you have it! All on a USB, you make changes, create and store results.
Unfortunately things don’t always go as planned, especially when using Linux (I like to think that the OS is testing me).
I will be adding a trouble shooting guide over the next few days and will link it here when finished.