KaliLinux 2026.1 is now available, introducing eight new tools, a kernel update for version 6.18an annual theme update 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 complete operating systemwith support for hardware such as Raspberry Pi devices and Android phones through Kali NetHunter.
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, running Atomic Red Team tests on multiple operating system environments
- fluxion, a security audit and social engineering investigation tool
- GEF, an extension for GDB that offers advanced debugging features
- MetasploitMCP, a server for Metasploit
- SSTI map, an automatic server-side template injection detection tool with an interactive interface
- WPProbe, a quick tool for listing WordPress plugins; and tool
- XS Strike, an advanced cross-site script scanner.
BackTrack mode added to Kali-Undercover
Kali-Undercover used to allow users to change 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 BackTrack’s original 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 to the default Kali theme.
Theme update
The Kali Team has updated its visual theme as part of the traditional first release of the year. The update brings new desktop wallpapers, adjustments to the installer’s graphical interface, and improvements to the start menu and login screen.
Kali NetHunter Updates
The Kali NetHunter app for Android received several fixes in this release, including an HID permissions check, a fix for the WPS scanning bug, and a fix for the back button issue.
How to upgrade to Kali Linux 2026.1
Existing Kali installations can be updated 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 update, run grep VERSION /etc/os-release to confirm the installed version.
Users running Kali on the Windows subsystem for Linux should verify that 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 version of WSL.
Fresh ISO downloads for new installations and live distributions are available on the Kali Linux website. The full changelog for 2026.1 is also posted there.
