Kali Linux
The industry-standard Debian-based penetration testing distribution by Offensive Security.
Red Team Operating Systems
The best Linux, Windows, and mobile environments for offensive security
Parrot Security OS
Debian-based distro focused on pentesting, privacy, and development.
BackBox Linux
Ubuntu-based pentesting distro with a lightweight XFCE desktop.
BlackArch Linux
Arch-based distribution with a massive repository of offensive security tools.
ArchStrike
Arch Linux repository for security professionals and researchers.
Pentoo
Gentoo-based live CD/USB focused on penetration testing and security assessment.
Fedora Security Lab
Fedora spin with a customizable security lab environment.
Network Security Toolkit (NST)
Fedora-based live distro packed with network security tools and dashboards.
Wifislax
Wireless and Wi‑Fi auditing focused distribution based on Slackware.
Samurai Web Testing Framework
Live environment specialized for web application penetration testing.
Kali NetHunter
Mobile pentesting platform for Android devices (Kali on smartphones).
Commando VM
Windows-based red team toolkit maintained by Mandiant.
FLARE VM
Windows toolkit focused on malware analysis and reverse engineering.
PentestBox
Portable pentesting environment for Windows (runs without installation).
Tsurugi Linux
Investigation platform; useful companion for red team/DFIR workflows.
Kali Purple
Defensive flavor of Kali; useful for purple team exercises.
Dracos Linux
Security-focused Linux from the Dracos community (smaller ecosystem).