FREE Kali Linux in the Cloud (AWS)

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About this video

The creator walks through putting Kali Linux in the cloud on AWS for free, with GUI access. He creates an AWS free tier account, noting a credit card is required, and uses the sponsor Privacy.com to make a virtual card with a spending limit he sets as an example so any free-tier overage is capped. In the AWS console he launches an EC2 virtual machine, searches the AWS Marketplace for Kali Linux, selects it, and chooses the free-tier-eligible micro instance before reviewing and launching. Instead of a password, AWS uses an SSH key pair: he creates a new pair, downloads the .pem file, and stresses not losing it or access is lost. If the instance does not appear, he shows checking a different AWS region, where he finds his in Ohio. He SSHs in as the kali user with ssh -i and the key and instance IP, a command he notes is the same on Windows, Linux, and Mac. To get a GUI, he runs sudo apt update, installs XFCE, XFCE goodies, TightVNC server and additional desktop components, chooses LightDM when prompted, and notes options to install the full Kali toolset or just the top 10 tools. He starts tightvncserver at 1024x768, sets a VNC password, confirms it listens on port 5901, then creates a secure SSH tunnel forwarding local 5901 to the instance and connects with RealVNC Viewer to localhost:5901. He argues the benefits are a free, always-on machine with a public IP for learning hacking, building cloud labs, and learning AWS and Kali together.

Key takeaways

Create a free-tier AWS account and launch Kali Linux from the AWS Marketplace on EC2
Use a free-tier-eligible micro instance and download and protect the SSH .pem key pair
If the instance is missing, check whether it was created in a different AWS region
Install XFCE and TightVNC, then access the GUI securely through an SSH tunnel to port 5901
Optionally expand the bare-bones install with the full Kali toolset or the top 10 tools

Episode details: published October 16, 2021 · 13:03 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are NetworkChuck’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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