log - undefined
↓ Go to bottom

Setting Up Kali Linux on an M2 Mac.

Kali Linux
M2 Mac
UTM
Penetration Testing
Ethical Hacking

Table of Contents

I had experience setting up on an Intel Mac environment, but since I now have an M2, I decided to try setting it up there.

The main use of my Kali Linux is for obtaining the OSCP, which involves penetration testing and ethical hacking.

https://github.com/utmapp/UTM

UTM is an app for full system emulation using QEMU, a virtualization environment-building tool. There are other apps that support creating virtual environments, such as VirtualBox and VMware, but this one seemed more modern, so I chose it.

Additionally, I personally find the GUI of the latter two apps to be outdated.

When I set it up on the Intel Mac, I used dual booting, but with the M2 Mac, it’s become difficult due to the internal security chip.

Therefore, using a virtual machine is the smarter option.

Also, the OSCP recommends using virtual environments for learning. https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/360049796792-Kali-Linux-Virtual-Machine

Gathering Required Software and Installer

Download the installer marked as Recommended for Apple Silicon (ARM64) from here:
https://www.kali.org/get-kali/#kali-installer-images (ARM64 .iso file).

Installing UTM

You can also get it from the App Store, but it’s free to use.
It can be installed from the GitHub link provided on this page:

Installation Setup

  1. Launch UTM, then select Create a New Virtual Machine > Virtualize.
  2. In the Operating System modal, choose Other.
  3. Click Browse and select the .iso file you just downloaded.
  4. Set memory to 2048MB and storage to 32GB, which should be sufficient.
  5. In the Summary modal, enter any name, and check the box for Open VM Settings.
  6. Confirm the virtual machine appears in the sidebar, then click the edit button at the top-right of the virtual machine.
  7. In Device, select New > Serial (this is to prevent the terminal from blacking out during installation).

Installing Kali Linux

  1. Click Play.
  2. Select Japanese for the language, and also choose Japanese for the keyboard (since your Mac has a Japanese layout).
  3. Set the timezone to Asia.
  4. The setup will ask various questions, but the default options should be fine.
  5. Select Guided - use entire disk for partitioning.
  6. Choose All files in one partition (recommended for new users) for the partitioning scheme.
  7. Choose Finish partitioning and write changes to disk.
  8. The installation will start, and you can proceed with the default options.
  9. Once prompted, shut down the virtual machine to reboot.
  10. In the previously set edit menu, remove the Serial device from Device and click Save.
  11. In the home screen, unmount the .iso file from CD/DVD under the virtual machine’s settings.
  12. Click Play to start the virtual machine, and once it boots, you’re done.

Japanese Input Setup (fcitx)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install fcitx fcitx-mozc
im-config         # Opens the settings modal

In the config modal > select fcitx > add input method (select Mozc)

By default, input switching is done with ctrl+space, but since my Mac uses the Japanese layout, I assigned it to the Henkanmode key (Kana key).

Text Sharing Between Host Machine and Virtual Environment

Since clipboard sharing didn’t work, I used the following workaround:

Github SSH Connection

This follows the configuration of my dotfiles.

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "YOUR_EMAIL_ADDRESS"

Since Kali doesn’t have a pbcopy equivalent, I installed the xclip command:
https://github.com/astrand/xclip

sudo apt-get install xclip

Copy the key:

xclip -selection clipboard < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Add the SSH key in GitHub’s settings under SSH and GPG keys and paste the key there.

ssh -T git@github.com
Hi Coordinate-Cat! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

To fully use GitHub, you also need to configure ~/.gitconfig:

[user]
    name = YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID
    email = YOUR_EMAIL_ADDRESS

Then you can commit or push.

Network and SSH Server

Kali Linux comes with an SSH server pre-installed but is disabled by default, so you need to enable it.

  1. [On Kali Linux] sudo systemctl start ssh
  2. [On Kali Linux] sudo systemctl enable ssh
  3. [On Kali Linux] Check the IP address with ifconfig (something like 192.xxx.xx.x).
  4. [On Mac] ssh ocat@192.xxx.xx.x (don’t do this as root to avoid being compromised).
  5. [On Mac] Enter the password, which is the Kali Linux password.
  6. [On Mac] If it’s the first time, you may see a message like “The authenticity of host ‘xxx.xxx.xx.xx (xxx.xxx.xx.x)’ can’t be established.” Type yes.
  7. [On Mac] When you see the Kali Linux prompt, you’re all set.

References

← Return to blog
↑ Back to top