Kali Linux is a distribution designed for cybersecurity professionals and ethical hackers to perform red-teaming, penetration testing, security assessments, and network research. The operating system can be installed or run as a live environment. It supports a diverse range of hardware, from standard computers to devices like the Raspberry Pi and compatible Android phones via Kali NetHunter. This wide hardware compatibility ensures accessibility for professionals operating in various environments.
Every new Kali release brings a few fresh tools to play with, and this update is no exception. This time, we are getting three new additions to the arsenal of available tools. The first is bpf-linker, a simple BPF static linker. Next is evil-winrm-py, a Python-based tool designed for executing commands on remote Windows machines using the WinRM protocol. Finally, hexstrike-ai is included, which is an MCP server that allows AI agents to autonomously run various security tools.
Kali Linux 2025.4 brings many new updates to its desktop environments, including Gnome 49, KDE Plasma, and Xfce. These improvements aim to enhance the user experience and interface consistency across the distribution. The developers continually work on refining the look and feel of the different desktop options to cater to user preferences.
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The updates for GNOME 49 include refreshed themes, a new Showtime video player, and reorganized tool folders within the application grid. A significant change in this release is that GNOME entirely removes X11 support and now runs solely on Wayland, showcasing the distribution’s move toward modern display server protocols.
Another quality-of-life improvement across the desktops is the addition of a keyboard shortcut to quickly open a terminal. Users can now use Ctrl+Alt+T or Win+T to immediately launch a terminal window, a convenience feature that has been implemented in other desktops and is now consistent throughout Kali Linux.
Source: Kali Linux 2025 4 Released With 3 New Tools And Desktop Updates
Great summary of the 2025.4 release. The move to Wayland-only for GNOME is a bold choice but makes sense given the direction of modern desktops. I've been using evil-winrm in pentests for awhile now, but the Python port should improve cross-platform compatibility. That Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut being universal across desktops is surprisingly helpful for workflow consistancy when switching between environments.