The truth is that if the fight between the two most popular ethical hacking distributions took place in something similar to a ring, I know who I would bet my money on. No, it is not the one motivated by this article, since the mascot is a parrot and Kali's is a dragon. But what both options have to do is test all types of software and hardware, and there the choice is not so simple. And a few moments ago have thrown Parrot 6.1, and almost at the same time a Kali update that we will also talk about today if we have time.
In Linux distributions, most of the changes are related to their kernel and graphical environments, to which in some metapackages are added. These metapackages are made up of dozens or hundreds of packages, and those of the distros for ethical hacking are small programs or scripts to test security. The clearest example is something that many of us have done at some point: see if we can decipher the password of our router... or the neighbor's. Because this, although it is not what should be done, is also possible.
Parrot 6.1 highlights
Among the highlights of Parrot 6.1, in addition to the following list with updates to its security applications and pentesting, we found a support for the Raspberry Pi 5 improved, which now has drivers added and activated. Furthermore, the kernel has risen to Linux 6.6.26, more drivers have been added to improve compatibility with external devices and a bug that prevented WiFi from working on the Raspberry Pi 400 has been fixed.
Tool updates
- Anonsurf 4.2: Improved stability and fixed issues in the launcher script to improve anonymity and user experience.
- The update reminder popup was reintroduced to the system to help keep the system up to date.
- Nmap: Patched to fix several bugs in your mssql scanning lua script.
- burpsuite 2024.2.1.3: Updated to the latest version and fixed an inconsistency in the java version on some machines.
- sqlmap 1.8.3: Updated to the latest version to improve SQL injection detection and checking capabilities.
- sslscan 2.1.3: Updated to its latest version.
- zaproxy 2.14: New version that provides improved web application security testing tools.
- netexec 1.1.1: Introduced to replace the crackmapexec tool. Netexec can be used as a replacement for crackmapexec and offers the same functions.
- metasploit 6.4.6: Updated with new exploits and improved penetration testing tools.
- woeusb-ng 0.2.12: Updated to improve creating bootable USB drives from Windows ISO files.
- volatility3 1.0.1: Updated to improve forensics and memory analysis capabilities.
- rizin 0.7.2: New version providing improved reverse engineering tools and features.
- powershell-empire 5.9.5: Updated to improve the capabilities of the post-exploitation framework.
- instaloader 4.11- Updated to latest version to improve scraping and downloading Instagram data.
- gdb-gef 2024.1: Updated with new features and improvements for the GDB Enhanced Features plugin.
- evil-winrm 3.5: Improved version for better interaction with Windows Remote Management.
- bind9: An important security update has been applied.
Updated packages
- chromium: The latest security updates have been applied to ensure safe browsing.
- firefox: Updated with the latest security patches to improve security and browsing performance.
- webkit: Incorporated security updates to safeguard against vulnerabilities in the web straightening engine.
- golang 1.21- Updated to the latest version, with performance improvements and new features.
- grubs 2.12: Updated to improve bootloader functionality and security.
- libc6 and glibc6: Security updates applied to improve system stability and security.
- pipewire 1.0.5: Updated to improve audio handling and performance.
- libreoffice 24.2: New version with improved features and security improvements for office suite applications.
- Openjdk: Applied security updates to improve the security of the Java runtime environment.
- php8- Security updates have been added to improve web development and server-side scripting security.
- ruby 3.1: Updated with the latest security patches to improve development security and stability.
How to get Parrot 6.1
Existing users can upgrade to Parrot 6.1 by opening a terminal and typing sudo parrot-upgrade or the usual Debian combination, i.e. sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade. For new installations, images can be downloaded at their website, which have also been improved to make it easier to read.