Back Heise.De Kali Linux 2026.3 improves custom image builds, adds smartwatch wardriving
The new version of the Linux distribution for penetration testing and security analysis makes it easier to build custom Kali images. It also adds new tools, and the Android edition, NetHunter, turns smartwatches into wardriving devices.
As the developers explain in their blog , they have standardized the publicly available build scripts they use to create all official images. According to the developers, the revised scripts now behave much the same across platforms and accept the same command-line parameters.
The new release lets users run the build process in a Docker or Podman container. The included script build-in-container.sh detects the available container engine, creates the build container and starts the build inside it. Until now, the recommendation was to build Kali on a Kali system — a chicken-and-egg problem, as the developers themselves acknowledge. The overhaul isn’t complete yet, though: the remaining scripts are due to follow in version 2026.4.
The team upgraded the desktop to KDE Plasma 6.7. Users who work with multiple monitors can now manage separate virtual desktops for each screen. Many tools have also received new icons.
New additions include the XSS scanner dalfox, the port scanner rustscan and the katana framework, which automatically searches websites for subpages and endpoints. snaffler-ng finds credentials and other sensitive data in SMB shares. In total, the developers updated 126 packages, and the kernel jumps from version 6.19 to 7.1.5.
The Android edition, Kali NetHunter, has also gained new capabilities: Wardriving — systematically locating Wi-Fi networks from a moving vehicle — now works on TicWatch Pro 3 series smartwatches. The still-experimental WearHunter feature lets users remotely control the watch from a smartphone over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth using ADB, for example to run commands or install apps. Kali NetHunter can read and edit MIFARE Classic cards on compatible smartphones using the built-in NFC module, without an external adapter, and copy them to another card when the necessary conditions are met.
Kali Linux 2026.3 is available for download now. Existing installations can be updated through the package manager.
This article was originally published in German . It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.
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