Kali Linux 2025.3 is finally here, bringing a fresh wave of updates, exciting new features, and powerful tools that further solidify its reputation as a top platform for penetration testing and cybersecurity professionals. Since the previous release, 2025.2 in June, the Kali team has focused on improving infrastructure, boosting performance, and extending support for modern devices.
Key Updates in Kali Linux 2025.3
1. Packer & Vagrant Improvements
Kali continues to leverage HashiCorp’s Packer and Vagrant for VM creation and management:
- Packer: Now updated to version 2, making it easier to create virtual machines across multiple platforms from a single source configuration.
- Vagrant: Improved VM build scripts ensure consistent and streamlined deployment across environments, including Hyper-V on Linux.
The team also refreshed pre-seed examples, ensuring the automated Kali installer works seamlessly across setups.
2. Kali Linux 2025.3 Nexmon Support for Wireless Testing
Nexmon, a patched firmware for certain wireless chips, returns with extended functionality:
- Monitor Mode: Enables packet sniffing for advanced network analysis.
- Injection Mode: Allows frame injection for sending custom raw packets outside standard stack ordering.
Supported chips include Broadcom and Cypress, making devices like Raspberry Pi 5 capable of advanced wireless testing. Nexmon is not limited to Raspberry Pis, allowing wider hardware compatibility for security testing.
3. Dropping Legacy ARMel Support
Kali 2025.3 officially drops support for ARMel (Acorn RISC Machine, Little-Endian), following Debian’s lead. Devices affected include:
- Raspberry Pi 1 (Original)
- Raspberry Pi Zero W
- ODROID-W (already EOL)
This allows the team to focus on more modern architectures like RISC-V.
4. Configurable VPN IP Panel Plugin (Xfce)
The Xfce VPN-IP plugin introduced in 2024.1 now supports multiple network interfaces, improving usability for users managing several VPN connections.
- Right-click the VPN-IP plugin → Preferences → Choose interface to monitor.
- Use the “Generic Monitor” plugin if the VPN-IP plugin isn’t visible.
5. Ten New Tools Added to Kali
Kali 2025.3 introduces ten new powerful tools:
- Caido & Caido-cli: Web security auditing toolkit (client and server)
- Detect It Easy (DiE): File type identification
- Gemini CLI: Open-source AI agent for terminal-based tasks
- krbrelayx: Kerberos relaying and delegation abuse toolkit
- ligolo-mp: Multiplayer pivoting solution
- llm-tools-nmap: AI-assisted network discovery using nmap
- mcp-kali-server: AI agent integration configuration
- patchleaks: Security patch analysis and validation
- vwifi-dkms: Dummy Wi-Fi network setup for testing
Additionally, numerous package updates and library improvements were made. Kali 2025.4 may also alter default tool installation through the kali-linux-default metapackage.
6. Kali NetHunter & CARsenal Updates
Kali NetHunter now supports budget-friendly devices like the Samsung Galaxy S10 with internal monitor mode and injection for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.
CARsenal, Kali’s automotive hacking suite, received:
- Improved UI and simulator updates (ICSim renamed to Simulator, UDSim added)
- New MSF tab for Metasploit-Framework automotive modules
- Updated settings menus and module management
- Kernel modules installation via Magisk (experimental)
Bug fixes and improvements:
- Boot animation fixed
- API support from 21 to 34+ improved
- Deprecated libraries replaced, AsyncTask replaced with Executor for better performance
- Updated BusyBox, Gradle, and Java libraries
7. ARM SBC Updates
- Recommended 64-bit (arm64) images for Raspberry Pi 5; 32-bit (armhf) for older devices like Raspberry Pi 2.
- Kernel update issues resolved for better ARM device stability.
8. Faster Mirrors & Improved Sync
Kali upgraded its tier-0 mirror from 500 Mb/s to 3 Gb/s, ensuring faster updates and smoother operations. New mirrors include:
- China: mirror.nju.edu.cn, mirror.nyist.edu.cn, mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn
- Japan: mirror.tefexia.net
- South Korea: mirror.jeonnam.school, mirror.zzunipark.com
- Germany & US: eu.mirror.ionos.com, us.mirror.ionos.com
9. How To Get Kali Linux 2025.3
Fresh Install: Download the latest images from Kali Linux official site.
Existing Install: Update with:
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ echo "deb http://http.kali.org/kali kali-rolling main contrib non-free non-free-firmware" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list
[...]
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ sudo apt update && sudo apt -y full-upgrade
[...]
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ cp -vrbi /etc/skel/. ~/
[...]
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ [ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -f
You should now be on Kali Linux 2025.3. We can do a quick check by doing:
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ grep VERSION /etc/os-release
VERSION="2025.3"
VERSION_ID="2025.3"
VERSION_CODENAME="kali-rolling"
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ uname -v
#1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Kali 6.12.38-1kali1 (2025-08-12)
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ uname -r
6.12.38+kali-amd64NOTE: The output of uname -r may be different depending on the system architecture.
Kali Linux 2025.3 emphasizes modern infrastructure, enhanced mobile support, improved ARM compatibility, and more robust cybersecurity tools. Whether you are a security professional, hobbyist, or enthusiast, this release offers powerful features and smoother workflows for pentesting and ethical hacking.