Now, if you don’t know what a “checksum” is, let me break it down for ya like I’m explaining it to my grandma who just got her first computer (which she uses solely for Facebook and online bingo).
A checksum is basically a fancy way of saying that we’re gonna take all the data in this ISO file and run it through some math magic to get a unique number. This number represents the “fingerprint” or “signature” of our ISO, so if someone tries to mess with it (like adding their own malicious code), the checksum will change and we’ll know something’s up.
So how do we actually verify these checksums? Well, first you need to download the Kali Linux ISO file from their official website or your favorite torrent site. Once you have it, open up a terminal window (or command prompt if you’re on Windows) and navigate to the directory where you saved the ISO file.
Next, we’ll use a tool called “sha256sum” to calculate the checksum for our ISO. This tool is included in most Linux distributions by default, but if you don’t have it installed already, you can install it using your package manager (e.g. apt-get or yum).
To use sha256sum, simply type “sha256sum [filename]” and hit enter. This will calculate the checksum for that file and print out a unique string of characters. For example:
# This script uses the sha256sum command to calculate the checksum of a file.
# If sha256sum is not installed, it can be installed using a package manager.
# To use sha256sum, type "sha256sum [filename]" and hit enter.
# This will calculate the checksum for the specified file and print out a unique string of characters.
# Example:
# sha256sum kali-linux-2021.4-amd64.iso
# The output will be in the format of [checksum] [filename].
# The checksum is a unique string of characters that represents the file's contents.
$ sha256sum kali-linux-2021.4-amd64.iso
a9c3e8d7f5b54a79a7a2c153bf8cbaf6 kali-linux-2021.4-amd64.iso
# This line executes the sha256sum command on the specified file and prints the checksum and filename.
# The checksum can be used to verify the integrity of the file, ensuring it has not been tampered with or corrupted.
In this example, the checksum for our Kali Linux ISO is “a9c3e8d7f5b54a79a7a2c153bf8cbaf6”. This number will be different for every ISO file you download, because it’s based on the contents of that specific file.
Now let’s say we want to verify this checksum against what Kali Linux provides on their website. To do this, go back to their official download page and look for a section called “Checksums”. This will usually be located near the bottom of the page or in a separate tab/section.
In our case, let’s say we found the following checksum:
// This script is used to verify the integrity of a downloaded Kali Linux ISO file by comparing its SHA-256 checksum against the one provided on the official Kali Linux website.
// First, we need to obtain the SHA-256 checksum for the downloaded ISO file. This can be found on the official download page of Kali Linux, usually located near the bottom of the page or in a separate tab/section.
// Let's say we found the following checksum for our downloaded ISO file:
SHA-256 (kali-linux-2021.4-amd64.iso) = a9c3e8d7f5b54a79a7a2c153bf8cbaf6
// Now, we need to compare this checksum with the one provided on the website. If they match, it means that our downloaded ISO file is authentic and has not been tampered with.
// To do this, we can use a tool like HashCalc or HashTab to generate the SHA-256 checksum for our downloaded ISO file. We can then compare this checksum with the one provided on the website.
// If the checksums match, we can be confident that our downloaded ISO file is authentic and we can proceed with using it. However, if the checksums do not match, it means that our downloaded ISO file has been corrupted or tampered with, and we should not use it.
// Therefore, it is important to always verify the checksum of downloaded files, especially when dealing with sensitive or important data. This ensures that we are using the correct and unaltered version of the file.
If the checksum we calculated matches this one, then our ISO is good to go! If they don’t match, then something might be wrong and you should contact Kali Linux support for assistance.
And that’s it ! By verifying these checksums, we can ensure that our downloaded files are authentic and haven’t been tampered with by malicious actors.