Kali Linux 2026.1 ships BackTrack mode, eight new tools, and a kernel upgrade to 6.18
Penetration testers running Kali Linux have a new release to work with. Version 2026.1 delivers the annual theme refresh, a new BackTrack-inspired mode in kali-undercover, eight tools added to the network repositories, a kernel bump to 6.18, and several Kali NetHunter changes.
2026 theme refresh
Each year’s first Kali release brings a visual overhaul, and 2026.1 follows that pattern. The new theme covers the boot menu, installer, login display, and desktop, along with a fresh set of wallpapers. The Kali Purple variant also receives updated artwork.
The boot animation received a fix specific to live images. Previously, the animation got stuck at the beginning and displayed only the tail. It now plays through correctly and will restart the loop if the boot process runs long.
BackTrack mode for kali-undercover
2026 marks the 20th anniversary of BackTrack Linux, the predecessor to Kali. To mark that milestone, the release adds a BackTrack mode to the kali-undercover tool. The mode transforms the desktop to recreate the look and feel of BackTrack 5, with the same wallpaper, colors, and window themes. Users can enable it from the menu or by running kali-undercover --backtrack in the terminal, and toggle back to the standard Kali desktop by running it again.
Eight new tools
The following tools were added to the network repositories in this release:
- AdaptixC2 — Extensible post-exploitation and adversarial emulation framework
- Atomic-Operator — Executes Atomic Red Team tests across multiple operating system environments
- Fluxion — Security auditing and social-engineering research tool
- GEF — Advanced debugging experience for GDB
- MetasploitMCP — MCP server for Metasploit
- SSTImap — Automatic SSTI detection tool with an interactive interface
- WPProbe — Fast WordPress plugin enumeration tool
- XSStrike — Advanced XSS scanner
The release also adds 25 new packages, removes 9, and delivers 183 package updates. The kernel is bumped to version 6.18.
Known SDR breakage
Users of the kali-tools-sdr metapackage, which covers Software Defined Radio tooling, will find the GNU Radio ecosystem in poor shape in this release. Tools including gr-air-modes and gqrx-sdr are known to be broken. The Kali team expects a fix in the next release.
Kali NetHunter updates
The NetHunter app receives fixes for the WPS scan bug, HID permission handling, and the back button. Two device-specific changes ship with this release.
The Redmi Note 8 gets a new kernel for Android 16. On the Samsung S10 series, a patch to libnexmonkali fixes the use of internal wireless firmware in Kali chroot, bringing reaver, bully, and kismet into working order on those devices.
A first working wireless injection patch for QCACLD 3.0 hardware also lands in this release. The patch potentially unlocks injection capability for most phones running Qualcomm chipsets.