During the course of this chapter, we discussed the benefits of using the Kali Linux operating system as the preferred penetration testing distribution. We covered the basics of maneuvering and finding our way around the operating system, just as you would with any other operating system. Then, we took a look at updating our source file and upgrading our existing packages, and we demonstrated how to install a new application and remove outdated packages. Lastly, we covered how to use the find, locate, and which utilities to quickly find files and directories within the Kali Linux operating system.

Learning the essentials of Kali Linux will prove to be fruitful in your journey ahead. The skills taught in this chapter will help you understand the simple things when using Kali Linux, some of which are often overlooked. It would be pointless to know how to gather information on a target but not know how to find or locate files and directories within the Kali Linux operating system, so learning the basics will take you a long way.

In the next chapter, we will be covering passive information gathering, which is the beginning of the reconnaissance phase in penetration testing.