Top 5 Operating Systems Used for Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing

Top 5 Operating Systems Used For Ethical Hacking And Penetration Testing

What is Operating System (OS)?

An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs.

Now, It’s time to pause the archaic Windows vs. OS X vs. Linux discussion and switch over to some advanced operating systems dedicated to pen testing and ethical hacking. 

This list includes Linux distros like Kali Linux, Parrot Security OS, BlackArch, etc.

Top 5 Operating Systems Used For Ethical Hacking And Penetration Testing - 2018

1. KALI LINUX

It is developed by Offensive Security as the rewrite of BackTrack and tops our list as one of the top operating systems for hacking purposes. This Debian-based OS comes with 500+ preinstalled pen testing tools and applications that make your security toolbox richer to start along. These flexible tools are frequently updated and are offered for different platforms like ARM and VMware. Kali Linux is also feasible for a forensic job as it comes with a live boot capability that provides a perfect environment for vulnerability detection.
Download Kali Linux

2. PARROT SECURITY OS

It is also a Debian-based OS that is developed by Frozenbox’s team. Parrot security is a cloud-friendly operating system designed for ethical hacking, pen testing, computer forensics, cryptography, etc. Compared to others, Parrot Security OS is a lightweight OS that is highly efficient to work with. Parrot Security OS is a mixture of Frozenbox OS and Kali Linux. Moreover, this highly customizable hacking operating system also comes with a strong community support.
Download Parrot Security OS

3. BACKBOX

BackBox Linux is an Ubuntu-based operating system that is used for security assessment and penetration testing. BackBox Linux has a wide range of security analysis tools that can be used for web application analysis, network analysis, etc. It is fast and easy to use Linux distro that is famous among hacker’s community which comes with a complete desktop environment. The software applications provided by the OS are regularly updated with the most stable versions.
Download BackBox

4. Samurai Web Testing Framework

Samurai Web Testing Framework is essentially a live Linux environment that comes pre-configured to work as a web penetration testing platform. It contains multiple free and open source hacking tools for detecting web vulnerabilities. It is often known as the best operating system for Web Penetration Testing.

Download Samurai Web Testing Framework

5. DEFT LINUX

The open-source Linux distribution “DEFT” stands for Digital Evidence and Forensic Toolkit. DEFT is based on Ubuntu and built around the DART (Digital Advanced Response Toolkit) software. It is preconfigured with many popular forensic tools and documents that can be used by ethical hackers, penetration testers, IT security specialists, and other individuals.

Download DEFT Linux

However, there are many other distributions as well that are used by many professional, but these are the mainly used distributions that are highly recommended and preferred by experienced professionals from the field. Moreover, the selection of Linux distribution depends on the purpose for what purpose it is being used.
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Latest Trends in Computer Science

LATEST TRENDS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Quoting J. Ullman “Computer Science is a science of abstraction -creating the right model for a problem and devising the appropriate merchandisable techniques to solve it.” This quote clearly describes the real essence of computer science.

The new areas that have been catching the attention of researchers in the field of Computer Science recently but rather lately are as mentioned below -

1. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

With the global robotics industry forecast to be worth US$38 billion by 2018, a large portion of this growth is down to the strength of interest and investment in artificial intelligence (AI) – one of the most controversial and intriguing areas of computer science research. 

The technology is still in its early stages, but tech giants like Facebook, Google and IBM are investing huge amounts of money and resources into AI research. 

There’s certainly no shortage of opportunities to develop real-world applications of the technology, and there’s immense scope for break-through moments in this field.

AI has changed over time, but at the core, there has always been the idea of building machines which are capable of thinking like humans.

Systems such as IBM’s Watson cognitive computing platform use high-level simulations of human neurological processes to carry out an ever-growing range of tasks without being specifically taught how to do them.

2. BIOINFORMATICS

A fascinating application of big data, bioinformatics, or the use of programming and software development to build enormous datasets of biological information for research purposes, carries enormous potential. 

Linking big pharma companies with software companies, bioinformatics is growing in demand and offers good job prospects for computer science researchers and graduates interested in biology, medical technology, pharmaceuticals and computer information science.  

Bioinformaticians develop systems to gather data. A key aspect of bioinformatics is the creation of data algorithms and specialized computer software to identify and classify components of a biological system, such as DNA and protein sequences. They consult with other scientists and researchers to analyze data sets.

Here biological Problems are solved using computer codes. Therefore, Bioinformatics career opportunities are mainly based on Research and doing masters in Bioinformatics, perhaps would get you a job with a high paid salary.

3. BIG DATA ANALYTICS

Back in 2012, the Harvard Business Review branded data science the ‘sexiest job’ of the 21 century. Yes, you read that correctly. 

There has been a surge in demand for experts in this field and doubled efforts on the part of brands and agencies to boost salaries and attract data science talents. 

From banking to healthcare, big data analytics is everywhere, as companies increasingly attempt to make better use of the enormous datasets they have, in order to personalize and improve their services.

Big data analytics helps organizations harness their data and use it to identify new opportunities. That, in turn, leads to smarter business moves, more efficient operations, higher profits and happier customers.

Hadoop is an open-source software framework for storing data and running applications on clusters of commodity hardware.

4. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

After 2016 VR promises to be the tipping point, as VR technologies reach a critical mass of functionality, reliability, ease of use, affordability, and availability. 

Augmented reality (AR) adds digital elements to a live view often by using the camera on a smartphone. Virtual reality (VR) implies a complete immersion experience that shuts out the physical world.

Movie studios are partnering with VR vendors to bring content to market. News organizations are similarly working with VR companies to bring immersive experiences of news directly into the home, including live events.

The stage is set for broad adoption of VR beyond entertainment and gaming — to the day when VR will help change the physical interface between man and machine, propelling a world so far only envisioned in science fiction. 

At the same time, the use of augmented reality (AR) is expanding. Whereas VR replaces the actual physical world, AR is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input, such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. 

With the help of advanced AR technology (e.g., adding computer vision and object recognition), the information about the surrounding real world of the user becomes interactive and can be manipulated digitally.

5. EDGE COMPUTING

Edge computing allows data produced by the internet of things (IoT) devices to be processed closer to where it is created instead of sending it across long routes to data centers or clouds.

Doing this computing closer to the edge of the network lets organizations analyze important data in near real-time – a need of organizations across many industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, telecommunications, and finance.

Edge computing is a “mesh network of microdata centers that process or store critical data locally and push all received data to a central data center or cloud storage repository, in a footprint of less than 100 square feet,” according to research firm IDC.

“In most scenarios, the presumption that everything will be in the cloud with a strong and stable fat pipe between the cloud and the edge device – that’s just not realistic,” says Helder Antunes, senior director of corporate strategic innovation at Cisco.

There is just a basic knowledge about the trends and you can grow even more by searching more on the internet.