Kali Linux 2025.3 Released With New Features and 10 New Hacking Tools

Kali team has released Kali Linux 2025.3, the third major update of the year for the popular penetration testing and ethical hacking distribution.

This release introduces 10 new tools, brings significant updates to its mobile platform, Kali NetHunter, and enhances wireless capabilities for Raspberry Pi devices

Key updates in this version include a refresh of HashiCorp Packer and Vagrant integration, the reintroduction of Nexmon support, and various improvements to the user experience and underlying system architecture.

Major Features and Enhancements

The Kali Linux 2025.3 release comes with several notable improvements and changes since the June 2025.2 version.

Nexmon Support for Raspberry Pi:

One of the headline features is the return of Nexmon support, a patched firmware that enables monitor mode and frame injection on certain wireless chips.

This update brings these advanced Wi-Fi capabilities to the Raspberry Pi’s built-in wireless card, including for the Raspberry Pi 5. This allows security professionals to sniff wireless packets and inject custom raw packets, which is crucial for wireless security assessments.

The 64-bit (arm64) image is now recommended for Raspberry Pi devices, and it includes support for the Pi 5, eliminating the need for a separate image.

HashiCorp Packer & Vagrant Refresh:

The development team has streamlined how it builds Virtual Machine (VM) images by revamping its use of HashiCorp’s Packer and Vagrant tools. To improve the build process, Kali’s Vagrant images are no longer generated using Packer.

Instead, the modifications are now part of the existing VM build scripts, and the team has upgraded its Packer build scripts to v2 standards.

Dropping ARMel Support

Following in Debian’s footsteps, Kali Linux is discontinuing support for the ARMel architecture. This change affects a small number of older devices, such as the original Raspberry Pi 1 and Raspberry Pi Zero W.

The team stated that the resources required to maintain this legacy architecture are better spent on newer platforms like RISC-V.

Configurable Xfce VPN IP Plugin

The Xfce desktop environment’s VPN IP plugin has been updated. Users can now configure which network interface the plugin monitors, an improvement for those using multiple VPN connections or non-standard interfaces.

10 New Hacking Tools

As with every release, Kali 2025.3 adds a fresh set of tools to its arsenal. This version includes 10 new packages:

• Caido & Caido-cli: A web security auditing toolkit with a graphical client and command-line server.
• Detect It Easy (DiE): A utility for identifying file types.
• Gemini CLI: An open-source AI agent that integrates Google’s Gemini into the command line.
• krbrelayx: A toolkit for Kerberos relaying and abusing unconstrained delegation.
• ligolo-mp: A solution for creating multi-user pivoting tunnels.
• llm-tools-nmap: A tool that allows Large Language Models (LLMs) to use nmap for network scanning.
• mcp-kali-server: A configuration tool for connecting AI agents to Kali.
• patchleaks: A tool designed to quickly identify and detail security fixes in software patches.
• vwifi-dkms: A module for creating virtual “dummy” Wi-Fi networks.

Kali NetHunter and ARM Updates

The Kali NetHunter platform for mobile devices received significant updates. A major announcement is the support for the Samsung Galaxy S10 as a new budget-friendly device capable of internal Wi-Fi monitor mode and injection on both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands.

The CARsenal car hacking suite has also undergone a significant update, featuring a new user interface, refactored code, expanded tools, and enhanced simulation capabilities with the addition of UDSim.

How to Get Kali Linux 2025.3

For new installations, fresh images are available for download from the official Kali website. Existing Kali Linux users can upgrade their system to version 2025.3 by running the following commands in their terminal:

bashsudo apt update && sudo apt -y full-upgrade

After the update, users can verify the new version by checking the /etc/os-release file.

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