How to Install Kali Linux on an Android Device

In this guide, we'll show you how to install Kali Linux on an Android device without rooting it. This opens up many new possibilities for what you can do with your smartphone. Instead of lugging around a heavy laptop, you can use your phone to perform penetration testing, just like you would with your Kali Desktop. However, there are some limitations. For example, tasks like reverse engineering or malware analysis might not be as smooth on your phone. Still, activities like social engineering can be quite useful.

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Requirements:

• A working internet connection
• F-Droid app store installed
• Termux app installed from F-Droid
• Hacker's Keyboard app installed from Google Play Store
• Nethunter Kex app installed from Nethunter Store
• Sufficient storage space on your device

Steps to Install Kali Linux on Android

Install F-Droid

To install F-Droid, follow these steps:

1. Go to the official F-Droid website (https://f-droid.org/).
2. Download the F-Droid APK file from the website.
3. Open the downloaded APK file.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the F-Droid app on your device.
5. Once installed, you can open the F-Droid app and start using it to download and install other apps.

Install Termux

Termux is a free and open-source app that creates a Linux-like environment on your Android device. It offers a terminal interface similar to what you'd find on a Linux distribution, allowing you to run Linux commands and even install and use a full Linux distribution on your Android phone. The best part is, you don't need to root your phone to use Termux.

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To install Termux on your phone, you can use either of these two methods:

1. Download and Install from F-Droid:

• Open the F-Droid app.
• Tap the search icon and type "Termux."
• Select the app named "Termux - Terminal emulator with packages."

• Instead of tapping "INSTALL," scroll to the bottom of the Termux app page in F-Droid and tap "Versions." This will show you all available versions. Install version 0.117 instead of the latest version (0.118), as there were issues reported when using 0.118 to launch Kali on Android.

After successfully installing Termux, you may see an "UPDATE" option. Do not update the app. Instead, launch Termux from your applications menu and continue using version 0.117, which you installed.

2. Download the APK from GitHub:

To install Termux from the official GitHub page, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Termux GitHub releases page: [Termux Releases]
2. Scroll down to the list of releases and find version 0.118.
3. Expand the "Assets" section for version 0.118. As shown in the image below



4. Download the APK file for the arm architecture.
5. Open the downloaded APK file and follow the on-screen instructions to install Termux.

Please note that the version of Termux 0.118 available on GitHub may be different from the one on F-Droid. In the user's experience, the 0.118 version from GitHub worked smoothly, while the version from F-Droid had issues when trying to use Kali Linux on Android.

Install Nethunter Kex App

The Nethunter Kex app allows you to access the Kali Linux desktop interface on your Android device. You can download and install the APK file for Nethunter Kex from the Nethunter Store website.

Install Hacker's Keyboard

You can install Hacker's Keyboard by Klaus Weidner from the Nethunter Store website. As shown below

Enable Hacker's Keyboard

The Hacker's Keyboard provides laptop-like functionality on your phone, including arrow keys, tab keys, Ctrl keys, and Esc keys. It supports multitouch and is based on the AOSP Gingerbread soft keyboard. To enable the Hacker's Keyboard, launch the Settings app on your phone, locate the "Manage Keyboard" option, and enable the Hacker's Keyboard.

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Setup the Environment

To update and upgrade the Termux system, open the Termux app on your phone and use the following command:

pkg update && pkg upgrade

This command will update the package lists and then upgrade all installed packages to their latest versions.

To grant Termux access to the filesystem for persistent storage, run the following command:

termux-setup-storage

When you run the `termux-setup-storage` command, you will likely see a system dialog that asks for permission to access photos, media, and files on your device. Click on "Allow" to grant Termux access to your device's storage.

Fetch and Run the Installer Script

To install Kali Linux on your Android device using Termux, follow these steps:

1. Launch Termux from the applications menu.

2. Install the `wget` utility by running the following command:

apt install wget

3. Download the installer script from GitHub using the following command:

wget https://gitlab.com/kalilinux/nethunter/build-scripts/kali-nethunter-project/raw/master/nethunter-rootless/install-nethunter-termux

4. Make the installer script executable by running:

chmod +x install-nethunter-termux

5. Run the installer script with the command:

./install-nethunter-termux

This will start the installation process and show you a screen with the Kali logo and a list of available Kali images for installation.

The available Kali images for installation are:

1. Nethunter ARM64 (full): This is a comprehensive Kali image with a wide range of tools for an extensive experience.

2. Nethunter ARM64 (minimal): This is a streamlined version with essential tools, suitable for limited storage or lighter installations.

3. Nethunter ARM64 (nano): This is a compact Kali image with minimal tools for specific, lightweight use cases.

In our case, we will install the Kali Nethunter (full) image, which is a large image and may take some time to download and install. However, it comes with all the tools you need to start your penetration testing journey.

After successfully installing Kali Linux on your Android phone, you should see a screen similar to the image below.

Launch Kali Linux on Android

At this stage, you've downloaded and installed Kali Linux on your Android phone. But you might not see the Kali shell prompt yet. To open Kali, type these commands and press Enter:

nethunter

Now you'll be in the Kali Linux console as shown in the image below.

Now, you can use Kali Linux tools and commands as if you were on a Kali Desktop on your laptop. To begin, run this command to check the OS and version:

cat /etc/os-release | grep "\bNAME="

Enable Kali Linux Graphical User Interface on Android

So far, you've been using Kali Linux through the command-line prompt in Termux. But you can easily access and use the default XFCE Desktop environment installed on Kali Linux. This process involves using the Win-Kex utility, which allows users running Kali Linux via WSL to access the Kali Desktop Interface on their Windows PC. Kex creates a VNC session on Kali Linux, and you can access this session graphically using a Kex-client utility like Nethunter-kex.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Termux app and type `nethunter` to open the Kali Linux shell prompt.

2. In the Kali Linux console, type `kex` and press Enter.

3. You'll be prompted to set up a VNC password. Enter your password and confirm it. Note that VNC passwords are limited to 8 characters.

4. You'll then be asked to set a "view-only password." Type 'N' for no and press Enter.

5. To start Kex on your Android phone, run the command:

kex start

Connect to Kali Linux instance on Android

Open the Nethunter application and enter the settings as shown in the image below. Fortunately, most of the fields are filled in automatically. You only need to enter the Password; you don't need to enter the VNC username.

Once you've entered the settings, click on Connect. This will launch the Kali Desktop on your mobile phone in landscape mode, as shown below.

Congratulations! You've successfully set up and are now running the full-featured Kali Linux operating system on your Android phone. Navigating through the small menus can be a bit challenging, but you can use the cursor and your phone's touchscreen as a touchpad/mouse for control. 

To stop the VNC server, switch to the Termux application and type the following command:

kex stop

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While we've successfully installed a full-featured Kali Linux on an Android device, running some utilities that require root permission on a non-rooted device will be impossible. However, this is a minor setback as many tools don't need root permission to function. Running Kali on your mobile phone can be quite useful for tasks like password cracking and brute-forcing, especially since most phones nowadays have plenty of RAM and storage space. This effectively turns your Android device into a hacking utility while still being able to perform all the functions of a mobile phone.