Kali Linux (Rolling) Walkthrough¶

Vagrant VM: kali | Box: kalilinux/rolling | IP: 192.168.56.16 | Family: Debian

Special: This VM is configured with Xfce desktop and VirtualBox GUI enabled for full desktop screenshots.

Supported Tools¶

Tool	Status	Notes
OpenSCAP	✅ Supported	Debian-family packages via `apt`
Lynis	✅ Supported	Package: `lynis` (often pre-installed on Kali)
USG	❌ Not available	Ubuntu-only tool
CIS-CAT Lite	✅ Supported	Downloaded from CIS Workbench

VM Setup¶

cd cis_hardening_tool
vagrant up kali
# Note: The first boot provisions Xfce desktop — this takes several minutes

The VM is provisioned with: - kali-desktop-xfce — Full Xfce desktop environment - virtualbox-guest-x11 — VirtualBox guest additions for display

Accessing the VM¶

Via SSH (CLI)¶

vagrant ssh kali

Via GUI (Desktop)¶

The VirtualBox window opens automatically (vb.gui = true). - Default credentials: vagrant / vagrant

Running the Tool¶

sudo cis-hardening-tool --version
sudo cis-hardening-tool doctor
sudo cis-hardening-tool tools install --yes
sudo cis-hardening-tool scan --tools lynis --non-interactive --export pdf --output /tmp/kali_report.pdf

Web GUI on Kali Desktop¶

Launch the web server and open the browser within Kali's desktop:

sudo cis-hardening-tool server start --detach
firefox http://localhost:8000 &

This provides unique screenshots of the web GUI running on a Kali Linux desktop.

Platform-Specific Notes¶

Debian-based: Kali uses apt package manager, same as Ubuntu/Debian
Lynis: Often pre-installed on Kali (it's a security-focused distro)
Memory: 4096 MB allocated (Xfce desktop requirement)
CPUs: 2 cores allocated
Security Tools: Kali includes many other security tools that complement CISentinel

Capturing Screenshots¶

Desktop Screenshot (via VBoxManage from host)¶

# CLI console screenshot
VBoxManage controlvm "$(cat .vagrant/machines/kali/virtualbox/id)" screenshotpng walkthroughs/platforms/kali/screenshots/kali_desktop.png

# After opening web GUI in Firefox
VBoxManage controlvm "$(cat .vagrant/machines/kali/virtualbox/id)" screenshotpng walkthroughs/platforms/kali/screenshots/kali_web_gui.png

CLI Recording (via asciinema from host)¶

vagrant ssh kali -- -t 'asciinema rec -c "sudo cis-hardening-tool doctor" --idle-time-limit 3 /tmp/kali_doctor.cast'
vagrant ssh kali -c 'cat /tmp/kali_doctor.cast' > walkthroughs/platforms/kali/screenshots/kali_doctor.cast