The latest version of the most popular pen-testing OS on the market, Kali Linux, has arrived with plenty of new school features and a dash of old school nostalgia.

Kali Linux came into being after the demise of BackTrack, which was one of the first penetration testing distributions ever released. BackTrack was based on Ubuntu and developed by Offensive Security. Way back in 2013, BackTrack went kaput, and Kali Linux was born.

If you remember BackTrack fondly, you'll be excited to learn that Kali Linux now has a BackTrack mode, which transforms the look and feel of Kali Linux into that of BackTrack 5. 

According to the official Kali Linux 2026 release, "To celebrate this milestone, we wanted to bring back some nostalgia for longtime users of this legendary cybersecurity distribution by adding a 'BackTrack mode' to kali-undercover. This mode transforms the desktop to recreate the look and feel of BackTrack 5, with the same wallpaper, colors, and window themes."

At the same time, Kali Linux has received a theme refresh, with updates to the boot menu, login display, and installer, along with new wallpapers. As well, the Xfce version has received an entirely new theme.

There are also eight new tools that have been added to the Kali Linux repository, including AdaptixC2, XSStrike, and SSTImap. You'll also get Linux kernel 6.18, improvements to the mobile penetration testing tools, and updates to Xfce, GNOME, and KDE Plasma desktop environments (which include a refresh of the Kali Purple variant).

You can download the latest ISO from the official Kali Linux download page.