Kali Linux gets a UI refresh, new tools, and an updated car hacking toolset

Kali Linux is a widely respected Linux distribution geared toward testing and auditing systems and networks, and the latest release has added more hacking tools, updates, and even a UI refresh.

First, the CAN Arsenal was renamed CARsenal, so its purpose is obvious. Not only has CARsenal received a UI update, but there are some new tools added into the mix, such as hlcand (a modified version of slcand for ELM327 usage), VIN Info (for decoding VIN identifiers), CaringCaribou (for providing Linstener, Dump Fizzer, Send, UDS, and XCP modules), and ICSim (provides a simulator for VCAN and for testing the CARsenal toolset without having to use specialized hardware).

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The Kali desktop menu also received a nice refresh by way of organization that better aligns it with the MITRE ATT&CK framework. By doing this, both red (offensive) and blue (defensive) teams are better able to find the tools they need to do their jobs. 

Kali Linux uses the GNOME desktop, which has been updated to version 48 and includes all the new features found in that release (such as notification stacking, digital wellbeing, improved performance, and HDR support). Along with the GNOME update is a new GNOME VPN IP extension that shows the IP address of your current VPN connection in the top panel and, with a single click, copies the IP address to your clipboard.

New tools have been added to Kali Linux 2025.2, such as azureblood (data collector for Microsoft Azure), binwalk3 (firmware analysis tool), bloodhound-ce-python (ingester fro BloodHouse CE), bopscrk (for generating wordlists), chisel-common-binaries (prebuilt binaries for the open-source penetration testing tool created by Parrotsec Security), crlfuzz (for scanning CRLF vulnerabilities), and much more.

The latest version also adds wireless injection, de-authentication, and Kali NetHunter Kernels for Xiaomi Redmi 4/4X, Xiaomi Redmi Note 11, Realme C15, Samsung Galaxy S10, and Samsung Galaxy S9.

How to try it

If you’re interested in exploring what’s new in Kali Linux 2025.2, you can download an ISO directly from the official download site or upgrade a previous version with 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 -f

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