Things I Do After Installing Kali Linux 2025.2 – My Full Setup

Hey everyone, I’m Kalyan, and I’ve been using Kali Linux for a while now — from learning ethical hacking to diving deep into bug bounty hunting. Every time I perform a fresh install of Kali Linux (2025.2), there’s a fixed set of things I always do to set up my environment for productivity, performance, and pentesting.

Whether you’re a beginner trying out Kali for the first time or a seasoned hacker looking for optimization ideas, I’m sharing this as a step-by-step checklist — as much for you as it is for my future self.

🛠️ 1. First Things First: Update Your System

Before doing anything else, I update the entire system:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

🧠 Why?
A fresh Kali ISO might already be a few months old. Updating ensures you’re running the latest tools, kernel, and security patches — especially important when using tools that rely on updated dependencies.

📁 2. Set Up a Clean Folder Structure

Keeping things organized is essential. Here’s the structure I create in my home directory:

mkdir ~/Tools ~/Docs ~/Notes ~/Scripts ~/Trash ~/Temps

Each folder has a specific purpose:

• Tools → for cloned GitHub tools

• Docs → documentation or PDF reports

• Notes → study and recon notes

• Scripts → my own bash/python scripts

• Trash & Temps → temporary or deleted data

⚙️ 3. Save Time with Custom Aliases

Custom aliases save hours of typing. I add these to my

.zshrc

.bashrc

alias yep="sudo apt install"
alias nope="sudo apt remove"
alias cls='clear && echo "Welcome back, $(whoami)! Stay sharp 🔥"'
alias scripts="cd ~/Scripts"
alias tools="cd ~/Tools"
alias notes="cd ~/Notes"
alias ports="nmap localhost"
alias lss='ls -lah --color=auto'
alias updatekali="sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y && sudo apt autoremove -y"

Then reload the shell:

source ~/.zshrc

🛠 Tip: Create aliases for every folder you often

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cd

into. Saves a ton of repetitive effort.

🤖 4. Enable ZSH Auto Suggestions

If you use

zsh

sudo apt install zsh-autosuggestions

Then, add this to

~/.zshrc

source /usr/share/zsh-autosuggestions/zsh-autosuggestions.zsh
ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_HIGHLIGHT_STYLE='fg=#999'

Now your terminal will start suggesting commands based on history — super handy!

🔥 5. Set Up Basic UFW Firewall Rules

Kali is not meant to be your daily-use OS, but basic firewall rules can still help:

sudo apt install ufw
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verbose

🔐 Pro tip: If you're using VPN or Tor, configure those interfaces properly too!

📝 6. Extract the

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rockyou.txt

Wordlist

A must-have wordlist used in brute-force and dictionary attacks:

sudo gunzip /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt.gz
ln -s /usr/share/wordlists ~/Wordlists

Now I have it extracted and symlinked to my home folder for easy access.

🌐 7. Browsers I Use

Kali comes with Firefox, but I also install:

• Google Chrome
• Opera
• Chromium (used exclusively with Burp Suite)

Install

.deb

sudo dpkg -i <filename>.deb

🎯 Tip: Keep one browser for research, one for automation, and one integrated with Burp.

✍️ 8. My Preferred Editors

For different tasks, I install various editors:

sudo apt install -y gedit vim neovim nano

I also install

.deb

• Visual Studio Code
• Sublime Text

Having multiple editors helps based on the file type and complexity of work.

💻 9. Terminal Utilities I Can’t Live Without

These make life in the terminal easier:

sudo apt install -y terminator qterminal gnome-terminal tmux
sudo apt install -y htop tree fonts-hack-ttf
sudo apt install -y flameshot torbrowser-launcher keepassxc etherape openvpn

🖼

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flameshot

is my favorite for annotated screenshots.
🔐

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keepassxc

stores credentials securely.
🕵️

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etherape

is great for visualizing network traffic.

🧪 10. Recon Tools I Install Immediately

These are essential for bug bounty, recon, and CTFs:

sudo apt install -y dirsearch sublist3r amass assetfinder httprobe ffuf wfuzz dirb feroxbuster eyewitness recon-ng enum4linux wifite
sudo apt install -y peass bat fd-find ripgrep seclists nodejs npm jq massdns

These cover everything from directory brute-forcing to subdomain discovery.

💾 11. Tools I Clone from GitHub

I clone these directly into my

~/Tools

git clone https://github.com/s0md3v/XSStrike.git
git clone https://github.com/hannob/tlshelpers.git
git clone https://github.com/incogbyte/shosubgo.git
git clone https://github.com/nsonaniya2010/SubDomainizer.git
git clone https://github.com/rastating/dnmasscan.git

# BullsEye Dorking Tools
git clone https://github.com/BullsEye0/dorks-eye.git
git clone https://github.com/BullsEye0/blue_eye.git
git clone https://github.com/BullsEye0/ghost_eye.git

📁 Tip: Keep all tools in one folder. I often write a script to update all git repos at once.

🐍 12. Install Required Python3 Packages

Many tools need specific Python libraries. I install them all at once:

sudo apt install -y \
  python3-requests \
  python3-dnspython \
  python3-termcolor \
  python3-htmlmin \
  python3-tldextract \
  python3-colorama \
  python3-cffi \
  python3-bs4

🔧 13. Installing Go-based Recon Tools

If you use

Go

go install github.com/tomnomnom/assetfinder@latest
go install github.com/lc/gau@latest
go install github.com/projectdiscovery/subfinder/v2/cmd/subfinder@latest
go install github.com/tomnomnom/httprobe@latest
go install github.com/projectdiscovery/shuffledns/cmd/shuffledns@latest

Then update your path:

export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin

⚠️ Make sure

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go

is installed:

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sudo apt install golang

🧩 14. Must-Have Browser Extensions (for Pentesting)

I always install the following:

• HackTools
• Cookie Editor
• Wappalyzer
• User-Agent Switcher
• Dark Reader
• Burp Suite’s CA certificate (for HTTPS interception)

These help with recon, manipulation, analysis, and visibility in dark terminal-heavy environments.

🧰 15. Burp Suite Quick Setup

Burp Suite is a go-to tool. I configure my browser as follows:

1. Proxy set to
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   127.0.0.1:8080

2. Install the Burp CA Certificate
3. Start intercepting HTTP/HTTPS traffic

🔁 I use Chromium exclusively for Burp to avoid conflicts.

🎨 16. A Bit of Customization

Though optional, I like Kali to look good and be usable long-term:

sudo apt install kali-wallpapers-all

Then I:

• Change the terminal font to Hack or JetBrains Mono
• Tweak GTK/terminal themes
• Use
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  neofetch

  for system info

🎨 Looks matter when you spend hours in the terminal.

📌 Wrapping Up

That’s my full post-install setup for Kali Linux 2025.2 — tried, tested, and optimized for penetration testing, bug bounty, and cybersecurity training.

I try to strike a balance between minimal and powerful. This setup keeps me organized, fast, and ready to go from reconnaissance to exploitation.

If you're setting up Kali for the first time or refreshing it for a new project, feel free to use or adapt this checklist.
Stay sharp, and hack the planet 🔥