Kali Linux 2025.4 Brings Wayland, New Tools & NetHunter Updates

Kali Linux 2025.4, released on December 12, 2025, introduces significant desktop enhancements, full Wayland support in virtual machines, and three advanced penetration testing tools, including the highly anticipated Wifipumpkin3. This update modernizes the user experience while reinforcing Kali’s position as a top-tier penetration testing platform.

Enhanced Desktop Environments

GNOME 49: Fully Wayland-Enabled

GNOME 49 marks a pivotal shift as Kali Linux moves to Wayland-only, eliminating X11 sessions entirely. The desktop is visually refreshed with polished themes across all variants. Users now benefit from:

• Showtime Video Player: Replacing Totem, Showtime offers a distraction-free GTK4 experience with chromeless windows and fading controls.
• Organized Application Grid: Tools are neatly categorized in folders matching the menu structure, simplifying discovery.
• New Terminal Shortcuts: Launch terminals quickly with Ctrl+Alt+T or Win+T.

KDE Plasma 6.5: Refined Productivity

KDE Plasma 6.5 integrates improvements from two major releases, including:

• Enhanced window tiling options
• Redesigned screenshot tool with advanced editing
• Quick access to pinned clipboard items
• Fuzzy search in KRunner for application lookup even with typos

Xfce: Full Color Theme Support

Xfce now matches GNOME and KDE in theming flexibility, allowing users to:

• Customize icon and GTK3/GTK4 window colors
• Modify Xfce window manager colors
• Configure Qt applications via qt5ct or qt6ct

Virtual Machine and Wayland Integration

Kali Linux 2025.4 ensures seamless Wayland support in VirtualBox, VMware, and QEMU, enabling smooth clipboard sharing and window scaling. This resolves compatibility challenges for penetration testers using virtual environments, effectively ending the reliance on X11 for guest systems.

New Penetration Testing Tools

bpf-linker

A static linker for Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF) programs, essential for eBPF-based security tools.

evil-winrm-py

A Python implementation for remote Windows management via Windows Remote Management (WinRM), supporting multiple authentication methods, file operations, and colorized output.

hexstrike-ai

An MCP server enabling AI agents to autonomously run security tools, advancing AI-assisted penetration testing workflows.

Wifipumpkin3 Enhancements

While not a new tool, Wifipumpkin3 receives improved NetHunter integration, featuring:

• Rogue access point functionality for Evil Twin attacks
• Captive portal credential harvesting
• DNS spoofing and traffic interception
• Updated community templates for phishing pages (Facebook, Instagram, iCloud, Snapchat)

Built in Python with GStreamer, it enables comprehensive wireless network auditing via man-in-the-middle attacks and transparent proxies.

Kali NetHunter Updates

Kali NetHunter now supports Android 16 for Samsung Galaxy S10 series, OnePlus Nord, and updates Android 15 support for Xiaomi Mi 9. Key improvements include:

• Restored Terminal app supporting all Magisk versions
• Module installation and management via Magisk
• CAN bus and internal wireless injection capabilities

Kernel and Performance Updates

Kali Linux 2025.4 ships with kernel 6.16, offering:

• Performance enhancements
• USB audio offload
• XFS large atomic writes
• Optimized compilation for local CPU architectures

Live Image and Seasonal Features

The Live image now exceeds 5GB, requiring BitTorrent for download. It includes a pre-installed Kali system, installer, and minimal package pool. A hidden Halloween mode remains accessible via kali-undercover –halloween, alongside standard Kali Undercover mode for discreet Windows 10-like theming.

Upgrade Instructions

Existing installations can upgrade via standard package management commands:

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

Systems will upgrade to kernel 6.16.8-1kali1 and maintain all pre-installed tools and configurations.

Expanded Mirror Network

Kali has added three new Asian mirrors (India and South Korea) and one North American mirror, improving download speeds and global accessibility.

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Sorit Chaudhary

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