Kali Linux on Android using Linux Deploy
Getting Kali Linux to run on ARM hardware has been a major goal for us since day one. So far, we’ve built native
images for the Samsung Chromebook, Odroid U2, Raspberry Pi, RK3306,
Galaxy Note 10.1, CuBox, Efika MX, and BeagleBone Black to name a few.
This however does not mean you cannot install Kali Linux in a chroot on
almost any modern device that runs Android. In fact, the developers of Linux Deploy
have made it extremely easy to get any number of Linux distributions
installed in a chroot environment using a simple GUI builder.
Prerequisites
- A device running Android 2.1 and above, rooted.
- At least 5 GB free space on internal or external storage.
- A fast, wireless internet connection.
- Patience to wait for a distribution to bootstrap from the network.
Configuring Linux Deploy for Kali
There’s actually very little to be done to get Kali installed. By choosing Kali Linux in the “Distribution”
tab, you’ve pretty much covered the important stuff. Optionally, you
can choose your architecture, verify that the Kali mirror is correct,
set your installation type and location on your Android device, etc.
Generally speaking, the defaults provided by Linux Deploy are good to
begin with.
Once
you are happy with all the settings, hitting the “install” button will
start a Kali Linux bootstrap directly from our repositories. Depending
on your Internet connection speed, this process could take a while.
You’ll be downloading a base install of Kali Linux (with no tools) at
minimum.
Building the Kali Image
Once
you are happy with all the settings, hitting the “install” button will
start a Kali Linux bootstrap directly from our repositories. Depending
on your Internet connection speed, this process could take a while.
You’ll be downloading a base install of Kali Linux (with no tools) at
minimum.Starting up your chrooted Kali
Starting up your chrooted Kali
Once
the installation is complete, you can have Linux Deploy automatically
mstart” button. You should see Linux Deploy setting up your image with output similar to the following:
ount and load up your Kali Linux chroot image. This also includes the
starting of services such as SSH and VNC for easier remote access. All
of this is automagically done by hitting the “
At this stage, Linux Deploy has started a
VNC and SSH server inside your chrooted Kali image. You can connect to
the Kali session remotely using the IP address assigned to your Android
device (in my case, 10.0.0.10).
Logging in to your chrooted Kali
Now you can use either a SSH or VNC client to access your Kali instance. The VNC password is “changeme” and the SSH credentials are “android” for the username (configured via Linux Deploy) and “changeme” as the password.
