Create a Bootable USB — Get Certified Get Ahead

Prerequisites. You’ll need a USB device at least 3 GB in size that you can format. You’ll also need Internet access.

Note: The purpose of this lab is to create a bootable USB that you can use to run Linux from almost any computer.

Warning. This lab will delete all of the data on the USB. Be sure to copy any data that you want to keep to another device.

One way to create a bootable Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive with Kali Linux on it is with Rufus. Rufus is a free and open-source utility you can download to a Windows system to format and create bootable USB flash drives.

If desired, you can also buy a bootable USB with Kali Linux already installed. You can usually find them on Amazon relatively cheap. This is useful if you don’t have a broadband connection necessary to download an ISO image.

Download a Kali Linux ISO Image

Note that an ISO image is a computer file that contains an image. Years ago, it referred to an image of an optical disk, but today ISO images can be created by software to include any files. ISO image files are typically bootable and can be written to optical discs or USBs.

ISO looks like an acronym, but it isn’t. The name was taken from ISO 9660 file system. ISO images end with the .iso filename extension.

This part of the lab will lead through the steps to download an ISO image file.

1. Go to the download section of the official Kali site: https://www.kali.org/downloads/

Note: When downloading an ISO image, you’ll need to choose between Installer and Live, and 64-Bit and 32-Bit.

Live. Pick this to create a bootable ISO. This allows you to run Linux in live move from the USB without affecting an operating system on the host computer.
Installer. This ISO is used to install Linux on a system. It may impact an operating system already installed on the computer.
32-Bit. If you’ll be running Linux on an older 32-bit system, use a 32-Bit ISO.
64-Bit. If you’ll be running Linux on a 64-bit system, use a 64-Bit ISO.

2. Click on the appropriate Live image name to begin the download.

I’m running my copy on a 64-bit system, so I selected the Kali Linux 64-Bit (Live) image.

Note that these downloads are exceptionally large. The 64-Bit Live version I downloaded was 2.8 GB in size. Even with a broadband connection, this will take a while.

3. Browse to a location where you want to save the file. I created a folder called KaliISO and saved it there.

The SHA256Sum column shows a hash of the image file. This can be used to verify the downloaded image is the same as the ISO image that was originally posted on the Kali site.

4. Copy the SHA256Sum hash. For my image, the hash is: acf455e6f9ab0720df0abed15799223c2445882b44dfcc3f2216f9464db79152

5. While waiting for the download to finish, you can download the sha256sum.exe file.

Download sha256sum.ex

1. Click here to download sha256sum.exe.

2. Browse to the same location where you saved the ISO file.

3. Click Save.

Check the Hash

1. Open a command prompt window. If you’re unsure how, refer to the study guide.

2. Change the directory location to where you saved the ISO file and the sha256sum.exe file.
As an example, I stored thes files in the C:/kaliiso directory so I used the cd /kaliiso command to change the directory.

3. Enter the dir command to view the exact name of the .iso file.

4. Enter sha256sum followed by the name of the iso file. In the above graphic, you can see I used the following command:

sha256sum kali-linux-2020.1-live-amd64.iso

5. After a moment, you’ll see the calculated hash of the file. Because the .iso file is so large, it will take a little time. In the above graphic, you can see that the hash I see is:

acf455e6f9ab0720df0abed15799223c2445882b44dfcc3f2216f9464db79152

6. Compare the hash to the hash you recorded in step 4 of the “Download a Kali Linux ISO Image” part of this lab. For me, I see that the two hashes are the same. This indicates that the file has not been modified or corrupted. Said another way, it has retained integrity.

Download and Run Rufus

1. Go to the Rufus Official Website: https://rufus.ie/

2. Scroll down to the Download section.

3. Click on the most recent version. As I write this, the current version is Rufus 3.9.

4. Browse to the location where you want to save the executable. I created a folder called Rufus and saved it there.

5. Open Windows Explorer and browse to the location where you saved the Rufus executable.

6. Install a USB into your system that you want to format. I’m using an old 64 GB USB. I’ve already copied all data off of this USB.

Warning: These steps will delete all contents of the USB.

7. Double-click on the Rufus executable.

If prompted by User Account Control to allow Rufus to run, click Yes. Rufus will start and will look something like the following graphic:

Note that Rufus automatically selected the USB drive that I inserted during step 6.

8. Verify that the USB device you want to format is selected.

Warning: These steps will delete all data off the USB. Ensure that the correct device is selected.

9. Ensure that the Boot selection is set to “Disk or ISO image”.

10. Click Select.

11. Browse to the location where you saved the Kali ISO image file and select it.

12. Ensure that the Partition scheme has MBR selected. Ensure that the Target system has BIOS selected.

13. Click Start.

14. If a warning appears similar to the following graphic, read it, and click Yes if you want to download the additional files. I clicked Yes to download them.

15. Read the info in the ISOHybrid image detected message. Ensure that “Write in ISO image mode (Recommended)” is selected. Click OK.

16. Read the information in the Rufus dialog box. If you want to destroy all the data on the device, click OK.

Configure a Computer to Boot from USB

The steps for this vary from computer to computer so can’t be specified exactly here. Therefore, these steps are given in generic terms. If desired, you can also use your favorite search engine to find web pages or videos created specifically for your computer.

1. Turn your computer on and press the manufacturer’s key to open the menus. Commonly used keys are: Esc, Delete, F1, F2, F10, F11, or F12. This page lists other commonly used keys by manufacturer.

As an overview, the following steps will set your UEFI/BIOS to Legacy, Secure Boot OFF, and PTT OFF.

Note that the UEFI/BIOS looks differently on many systems. Therefore, this may require you to look around for each setting. There are some common ways they work. As a simple example, you’ll normally use the arrow keys to navigate. Other times, you’ll need to read the on-screen instructions.

2. Locate the Legacy boot option. On my system, it is right below the Boot Sequence settings in General -> Boot Sequence. It’s listed as Boot List Option and allows you to select Legacy or UEFI.

On another system, I found it as a separate choice within the boot order as in Boot Order -> Legacy Boot Sources -> USB.

Of course, your system may name this slightly differently and locate it differently.

A. Select the Legacy boot option.

B. Save the changes.

3. Look for Boot Sequence or Boot Order.
On my system, it is in General -> Boot Sequence.
On another system, I found it under System Configuration -> Storage -> Boot Order.

A. Typically this will have your hard disk or SSD set as the first device. You need to move the USB Storage Device above the hard disk or SSD device.

B. After moving the USB Storage Device ahead of the hard disk or SSD, save your changes.

Note: When configured this way, your computer will prompt you to boot to the USB drive when it detects a USB drive inserted. If there is no USB, it will boot to the hard disk or SSD.

4. Disable Secure Boot.
On my system, it is in Secure Boot -> Secure Boot Enable.

A. Set Secure Boot Enable to Disabled

B. Save the setting.

5. On Intel systems, set PTT to OFF.
The Platform Trust Technology (PTT) feature looks and acts like a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). It allows you to implement whole-disk encryption to protect your data. However, I’ve found that it had to be disabled to allow my system to boot from the USB.

A. On my system, it is in Security -> PTT Security.

B. Disable PTT. On my system, I unchecked the box for PTT On.
Warning: If your system is using PTT, do not select Clear. This will return the PTT to its default state and prevent you from accessing your original operating system. However, disabling the PTT On setting, will not change the PTT settings.

C. Save your changes.

6. Ensure you have saved all your changes and exit the UEFI/BIOS program.

Launch Kali

1. Insert the USB into your computer system and turn it on.

2. When the KALI menu appears, select the Live option.

3. This will boot your system into Kali Linux.

Note the default operating system credentials for a Live Boot environment are:

User: kali
Password: kali