BackTrack

Last updated
BackTrack
Backtrack Backtrack logo.png
Backtrack
BackTrack 5 R1.png
BackTrack 5 R3
Developer Mati Aharoni, Devon Kearns, Offensive Security [1]
OS family Linux (Unix-like)
Working stateSuperseded by Kali Linux
Source model Open source
Latest release 5 R3 / August 13, 2012;10 years ago (2012-08-13)
Platforms i386 (x86), AMD64 (x86-64), ARM
Kernel type Monolithic
Default
user interface 		Bash, KDE Plasma Desktop, Fluxbox, [2] [3] GNOME
License Various
Official website www.backtrack-linux.org

BackTrack was a Linux distribution that focused on security, based on the Knoppix Linux distribution aimed at digital forensics and penetration testing use. [4] In March 2013, the Offensive Security team rebuilt BackTrack around the Debian distribution and released it under the name Kali Linux. [5]

Contents

History

The BackTrack distribution originated from the merger of two formerly competing distributions which focused on penetration testing:

On January 9, 2010, BackTrack 4 improved hardware support, and added official FluxBox support. [7] The overlap with Auditor and WHAX in purpose and in collection of tools partly led to the merger. The overlap was done based on Ubuntu Lucid LTS starting from BackTrack 5. [8]

Tools

BackTrack provided users with easy access to a comprehensive and large collection of security-related tools ranging from port scanners to Security Audit. Support for Live CD and Live USB functionality allowed users to boot BackTrack directly from portable media without requiring installation, though permanent installation to hard disk and network was also an option.

BackTrack included many well known security tools including:

BackTrack arranged tools into 12 categories:

Releases

DateRelease
May 26, 2006First stable release of BackTrack [9] [10]
October 13, 2006BackTrack 2 beta #1 released [11] [12]
November 19, 2006BackTrack 2 beta #2 released [13]
March 6, 2007BackTrack 2 final released [14] [15]
December 14, 2008BackTrack 3 beta released [16] [17]
June 19, 2008BackTrack 3 final released (Linux kernel 2.6.21.5) [18] [19]
February 11, 2009BackTrack 4 beta released [20]
January 9, 2010BackTrack 4 final release (Linux kernel 2.6.30.9) [21] [22]
May 8, 2010BackTrack 4 R1 release [23]
November 22, 2010BackTrack 4 R2 release [24]
May 10, 2011BackTrack 5 release (Linux kernel 2.6.38) [25] [26]
August 18, 2011BackTrack 5 R1 release (Linux kernel 2.6.39.5) [27]
March 1, 2012BackTrack 5 R2 release (Linux kernel 3.2.6) [28]
August 13, 2012BackTrack 5 R3 release [29]

Whenever a new version of BackTrack was released, older versions would lose their support and service from the BackTrack development team. There are currently no supported versions of BackTrack. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knoppix</span> Linux distribution

KNOPPIX is an operating system based on Debian designed to be run directly from a CD / DVD or a USB flash drive, one of the first live operating system distributions. Knoppix was developed by, and named after, Linux consultant Klaus Knopper. When starting a program, it is loaded from the removable medium and decompressed into a RAM drive. The decompression is transparent and on-the-fly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Security-focused operating system</span> Operating systems, that are focused on anonymous, privacy and security.

This is a list of operating systems specifically focused on security. Operating systems for general-purpose usage may be secure without having a specific focus on security.

A penetration test, colloquially known as a pentest or ethical hacking, is an authorized simulated cyberattack on a computer system, performed to evaluate the security of the system; this is not to be confused with a vulnerability assessment. The test is performed to identify weaknesses, including the potential for unauthorized parties to gain access to the system's features and data, as well as strengths, enabling a full risk assessment to be completed.

OpenVAS is the scanner component of Greenbone Vulnerability Manager (GVM), a software framework of several services and tools offering vulnerability scanning and vulnerability management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metasploit</span> Computer security testing tool

The Metasploit Project is a computer security project that provides information about security vulnerabilities and aids in penetration testing and IDS signature development. It is owned by Boston, Massachusetts-based security company Rapid7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aircrack-ng</span>

Aircrack-ng is a network software suite consisting of a detector, packet sniffer, WEP and WPA/WPA2-PSK cracker and analysis tool for 802.11 wireless LANs. It works with any wireless network interface controller whose driver supports raw monitoring mode and can sniff 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g traffic. The program runs under Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, OpenBSD, and Windows; the Linux version is packaged for OpenWrt and has also been ported to the Android, Zaurus PDA and Maemo platforms; and a proof of concept port has been made to the iPhone.

Lynis is an extensible security audit tool for computer systems running Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, OpenBSD, Solaris, and other Unix derivatives. It assists system administrators and security professionals with scanning a system and its security defenses, with the final goal being system hardening.

OffSec Certified Professional (OSCP) is an ethical hacking certification offered by Offensive Security that teaches penetration testing methodologies and the use of the tools included with the Kali Linux distribution. The OSCP is a hands-on penetration testing certification, requiring holders to successfully attack and penetrate various live machines in a safe lab environment. It is considered more technical than other ethical hacking certifications, and is one of the few certifications that requires evidence of practical penetration testing skills.

w3af Open-source web application security scanner

w3af is an open-source web application security scanner. The project provides a vulnerability scanner and exploitation tool for Web applications. It provides information about security vulnerabilities for use in penetration testing engagements. The scanner offers a graphical user interface and a command-line interface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentoo</span> Gentoo based Linux distribution for penetration testing

Pentoo is a Live CD and Live USB designed for penetration testing and security assessment. Based on Gentoo Linux, Pentoo is provided both as 32 and 64-bit installable live CD. Pentoo is also available as an overlay for an existing Gentoo installation. It features packet injection patched Wi-Fi drivers, GPGPU cracking software, and many tools for penetration testing and security assessment. The Pentoo kernel includes grsecurity and PAX hardening and extra patches - with binaries compiled from a hardened toolchain with the latest nightly versions of some tools available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BackBox</span> Security-oriented Linux distribution

BackBox is a penetration test and security assessment oriented Ubuntu-based Linux distribution providing a network and informatic systems analysis toolkit. It includes a complete set of tools required for ethical hacking and security testing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kali Linux</span> Debian-based Linux distribution for penetration testing

Kali Linux is a Debian-derived Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration testing. It is maintained and funded by Offensive Security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parrot OS</span> Debian-based Linux distribution

Parrot OS is a Linux distribution based on Debian with a focus on security, privacy, and development.

OffSec is an American international company working in information security, penetration testing and digital forensics. Operating from around 2007, the company created open source projects, advanced security courses, the ExploitDB vulnerability database, and the Kali Linux distribution. The company was started by Mati Aharoni, and employs security professionals with experience in security penetration testing and system security evaluation. The company has provided security counseling and training to many technology companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kali NetHunter</span> Free & open-source mobile penetration testing platform for non-rooted and rooted Android devices

Kali NetHunter is a free and open-source mobile penetration testing platform for Android devices, based on Kali Linux. Kali NetHunter is available for un-rooted devices, for rooted devices that have a standard recovery, and for rooted devices with custom recovery for which a NetHunter specific kernel is available (NetHunter). Official images are published by Offensive Security on their download page and are updated every quarter. NetHunter images with custom kernels are published for the most popular supported devices, such as Google Nexus, Samsung Galaxy and OnePlus. Many more models are supported, and images not published by Offensive Security can be generated using NetHunter build scripts. Kali NetHunter is maintained by a community of volunteers, and is funded by Offensive Security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BlackArch</span>

BlackArch is a penetration testing distribution based on Arch Linux that provides a large amount of cyber security tools. It is an open-source distro created specially for penetration testers and security researchers. The repository contains more than 2800 tools that can be installed individually or in groups. BlackArch Linux is compatible with existing Arch Linux installs.

References

  1. ↑ "Developers". Archived from the original on 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
  2. ↑ "HowTo:Install KDE 4.1". Offensive-security.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
  3. ↑ "BackTrack 4 tutorial". Archived from the original on 2011-10-26.
  4. ↑ "BackTrack Linux – Penetration Testing Distribution".
  5. ↑ "Kali Linux Has Been Released!". 2013-03-12. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  6. ↑ "BackTrack - remote-exploit.org".
  7. ↑ "BackTrack Linux - Penetration Testing Distribution". www.backtrack-linux.org. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  8. ↑ "BackTrack Linux - Penetration Testing Distribution". backtrack-linux.org. 2018-04-09. Archived from the original on 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2018-04-14.
  9. ↑ "BackTrack Downloads (seriously old)". Archived from the original on 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  10. ↑ "BackTrack Security Final Release". 15 May 2006. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  11. ↑ "Downloads". Archived from the original on 2006-10-27. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  12. ↑ "BackTrack v2.0 Public Beta Has Been Released!". 14 October 2006. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  13. ↑ "BackTrack Downloads". Archived from the original on 2007-02-02. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  14. ↑ "BackTrack Developers Log". Archived from the original on 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  15. ↑ "BackTrack 2.0 Final Due End of February". 13 February 2007. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  16. ↑ "Latest News". Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  17. ↑ "BackTrack 3 Beta out!". 13 December 2007. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  18. ↑ "BackTrack Developers Log". Archived from the original on 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  19. ↑ "BackTrack" . Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  20. ↑ "BackTrack Downloads". Archived from the original on 2009-05-23. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  21. ↑ "BackTrack 4 Final Released". Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  22. ↑ "BackTrack 4 Final Release". 11 January 2010. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  23. ↑ "BackTrack 4 R1 – Public Release". Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  24. ↑ "BackTrack 4 R2 Download!". Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  25. ↑ "BackTrack Linux" . Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  26. ↑ "BackTrack 5 Release". Archived from the original on 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  27. ↑ "BackTrack 5 R1 released". Archived from the original on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  28. ↑ "BackTrack 5 R2 Released". Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  29. ↑ "BackTrack 5 R3 Released!". Archived from the original on 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  30. ↑ "BackTrack to be Reborn as Kali Linux!". 2013-02-01.
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