2 years ago

Category: Software, Business, Database, Security, Ubuntu, shell

Though in reality such tools in past years were mostly CLI-based, a new generation of penetration testing (pen testing) and ethical hacking tools feature both slick UIs and powerful functionality for testing cyber security controls and posture. In this comparison, we'll look at two of the best: the Kali Linux and BackBox Linux pen testing and ethical hacking distros.

Maintained and funded by Offensive Security, Kali Linux is a Debian-based distro chock full of pre-installed security and pen testing tools—over 600 to date.

Support from Kali Linux via Offensive Security is available for Kali Linux operating system and packaging issues, while donation-based BackBox offers a blog, forum, and wiki of its main site.

The following is the scoreboard for Kali Linux vs. BackBox Linux based on the 12 criteria listed above: Both solutions are excellent distros for pen testing and white hacking use cases, and both are free and open-source, so cost will never be an issue.