In this first real article we will go deeper on my choice to start this website and write about Kali Linux. Truth to be told: I am at this point still a complete novice when it comes to Kali Linux and when I was younger I was always fascinated about Cybersecurity and (Ethical) Hacking. In fact, I still am and now I decided to actually pursue these topics more seriously.
Of course there is some context, in case you might now think that I’m just an average script kiddie. I have a Master’s degree in Computer Science with a specialization in Computer Networks and have quite some experience with various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu and Debian. Currently I work as a professional Software Engineer and I have been busy studying topics like Cloud Engineering in AWS, in which Security is a very important aspect. At the same time I’d like to improve my programming skills in a networking context, besides my job, and also focus on learning some new languages that I use less right now such as Python, Haskell and Go.
Why Kali?
There are many possible Linux “flavours” that one can choose from. When you research, you will notice that distributions like Ubuntu or Linux Mint are recommended for beginners and run-of-the-mill users, although even for experienced users they are fine for everyday usage and they should support everything you want for general software development. Initially I was thinking to take one of these for my next laptop.
Until I coincidentally came across a different distribution called Kali. This is a special distribution based on Debian and is mainly targeted to people working in Cybersecurity as it provides hundreds of tools that can be used for penetrating testing and fancy stuff like packet sniffing and password cracking. It would also well serve developers that work in Networking and Security, which gave me a aha-moment.
Of course we have to proceed with caution, because the distribution is not meant to be used as a general-purpose OS for Linux-beginners or for other stuff such as games. However I do feel qualified to get started with it and I will only use it for development and research purposes, so I should probably be fine.
The approach would mainly be to learn by doing. Remember that Andrew Tanenbaum invented the Minix OS so students could learn about operating systems, similar as to why you would dissect a frog during biology class to learn about what you can inside the frog. Likewise maybe I can become a Cybersecurity expert one day if I spend enough time on Kali Linux and learn as much as I can.
So I will get started with Kali Linux soon and document my journey in future articles. My next article will be about the laptop that I am going to use for Kali Linux. I am definitely excited. Stay tuned!