Install Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi 3 with 3.5 inch LCD Screen

Since the dawn of computer security there have been several programs, operating systems, applications, methods, and even the use of social engineering that have been used to initialize security breaches. One of the most recent operating systems used for digital forensics and penetration testing includes Kali Linux. Kali can be booted from a live CD, live USB, or it can be run within a virtual machine. We will show you how to install Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi 3 with 3.5 inch LCD Screen.

Having Kali Linux installed on a Raspberry Pi makes the installation very portable. This can be a very inexpensive and dynamic tool that would be great for penetration testers, students, hobbyists, ethical hackers, and anyone else that has an interest in computer security.

FIRST STEPS TO INSTALL KALI LINUX ON RASPBERRY PI 3 WITH 3.5 INCH LCD SCREEN

First you will need to purchase all of the items needed to successfully complete this tutorial. All of these items can be purchased on Amazon at a reasonable price. All of these items totaled a little over $100 dollars. For simplicity all of the items can be found in the links below.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Motherboard

TP-Link Wireless USB Adapter

Wireless Mini Keyboard

3.5 Inch LCD Touch screen Kit with Transparent Case

PNY HD5000 PowerPack

SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSD Card

Items not listed above are a USB cable and a USB adapter. The USB adapter is needed to plug your microSD Card into your computer for the installation of Kali Linux. Now that you have all the items necessary to build your portable hacking device we can start by getting Kali installed on the microSD card.

Keep in mind that we don’t encourage unethical hacking or the abuse of Kali Linux that may contribute to laws being broken. We do, however, encourage learning and testing your own network for vulnerabilities. You should always have permission before using Kali Linux if you are using it outside your own network.

HOW TO INSTALL KALI LINUX ON RASPBERRY PI 3 WITH 3.5 INCH LCD SCREEN

Since the Raspberry Pi doesn’t have an attached hard drive you need to install the operating system on the microSD Card. The version of Kali that we are going to download includes the driver for the 3.5 inch LCD screen combined with the operating system. You can find the installation guide for the 3.5 inch LCD touch screen here. To download the combined LCD driver and Kali Linux go to this link and select the version of your LCD screen along with the OS. Download, extract, and save the image file to a location on your computer where you know it’s location. Unfortunately the LCD touch screen driver cannot be installed on an existing operating system so you have to download the combined LCD driver and Kali Linux disc image file.

INSTALLING KALI ON MICRO SD CARD

To install Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi 3 with 3.5 inch LCD Screen you need to install Win32 Disk Imager onto your computer. This program is needed to install the Kali Linux disc image file you just downloaded onto your microSD card. After the program is installed open it and select the image file that you downloaded and the device that you want to install it on. The device should be the microSD card that you have plugged into your computer. If you are reusing an old microSD card then you should see Raspberry Pi Format SD Card. Then just click the “Write” button and wait for it to finish.

Raspberry Pi Assembly

Now that you have your operating system and LCD touch screen driver installed on your microSD card it is time to assemble the Raspberry Pi. First attach the 3.5 inch LCD touch screen to the 40 pin extended GPIO by lining up the pins on the bottom of the screen and the top of the Raspberry Pi. Your Raspberry Pi should have came with two heat sinks. They will most likely not be needed unless you plan on overclocking so installing them is optional.

Then assemble the transparent case that should have came with your touch screen. The case is pretty easy to put together. It contains a top, a bottom, 4 sides, a top frame, and some screws. You may have to remove the touch screen from the Raspberry Pi in order to assemble the case.

TURNING ON YOUR RASPBERRY PI

Now it is time to turn your Raspberry Pi on. After it is all assembled with your case and attached 3.5 inch LCD touch screen pull out your power pack and microSD card. Insert your microSD card that you used to install Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi 3 with 3.5 inch LCD Screen. The microSD card slot is located on the bottom of the Raspberry Pi. Your power pack should have an attached USB cable so that you can plug it into your Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi doesn’t have a power button so as soon as it is plugged in it will power on. When you have your microSD card inserted go ahead and plug in the power pack into your Raspberry Pi.

INSTALL KALI LINUX ON RASPBERRY PI 3 WITH 3.5 INCH LCD SCREEN – A SUCCESS

You should now see Kali Linux booting up on your Raspberry Pi. After it boots up it will stop on the login screen. The default login credentials on Kali Linux will be needed to successfully log in. The default username is root and the default password is toor.

After you login you should see the desktop environment. Since you are only using a 3.5 inch LCD screen the resolution is only 480×320. It will be a little difficult to navigate around but the purpose of this device is portability. Sometimes windows won’t fit to the screen so you’ll have to move the windows by holding the alt key and dragging the window with the left mouse button.

Check out our video if you want to see the entire process to install Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi 3 with 3.5 inch LCD screen.

INSTALL KALI LINUX ON RASPBERRY PI 3 WITH 3.5 INCH LCD SCREEN – UPDATING AND UPGRADING

Now that you have Kali installed and ready to go you will want to make sure it is updated. An operating system that isn’t updated can have vulnerabilities. To check if your version of Kali Linux is updated you will need to open up a terminal and type in:

apt-get update

It isn’t recommended upgrading or installing full version of Kali Linux on Raspberry Pi 3 until you resize the partition first. When you first install Kali Linux on a microSD card it doesn’t use up all of the available space. The installation only takes up around 6-7 gigabytes and leaves around 3 gigabytes available. If upgrading requires more space than what is available then you will run into problems. If you have a 16 or 32 gigabyte microSD card then it is highly advised that you resize Kali Linux partition for Raspberry Pi.

INSTALL KALI LINUX ON RASPBERRY PI 3 WITH 3.5 INCH LCD SCREEN – WHAT NOW?

Kali Linux offers a variety of tools for penetration testing and now that you have Kali Linux in pocket-sized form you have an advantage. So, where do you start? Well you can start and install VNC Viewer on Raspberry Pi with Kali Linux. This would enable you to access your Raspberry Pi remotely from your desktop or laptop computer. This would allow you to leave your Raspberry Pi at another location and then connect to it from your computer.

With this portability you could test another network while sitting in the comfort of your own home or office. It may be beneficial to enable Raspberry Pi 3 Kali Linux auto login though. This would allow your Raspberry Pi to boot up without having to login. You can’t access your Raspberry Pi remotely unless you are logged into it first. If you plan on keeping your Raspberry Pi at another location for an extended period of time then it might be handy to enable auto login.

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