Topic: [Eng: Tutorial] Kali NetHunter - Linux on Android (Read 536 times)

Yeah, I have a laptop and I use a samsung device which has only four GB of Ram. Pretty much old phone and I have a lot of memories in it which I do not want to lose. To be honest, yes, I never tried to flash a custom ROM and I don't know the method because I was never curious enough which can make me learn how to do it. But I do not deny the fact that I am very cautious with my devices and do not want to try something that may brick my device. But if I ever feel I need to flash a custom ROM and I may need some assistance, I will reach you.

I will definitely keep such things in mind when buying a new smartphone, and I was thinking of catching a discount for Black Friday or maybe for the Christmas-New Year holidays and treating myself to something more expensive, considering that I buy a smartphone once every 4-5 years anyway. The Honor V3 Magic caught my eye because it's really impressive from a phone considering how thin it is, and it belongs to the category of foldable phones - the only thing is that I would still like something that is not Chinese for a change, and then the choice is much narrower.

Yes, there is a possibility that you might brick your device (either soft or hard). But it is also possible to unbrick it if you know how. You don't have to be an expert, you just have to be curious. For you, it's better to stick to stock ROM. To be honest, I never had any friends who could help me with this, everything I know, I learned on my own. I'm not sure which part went over your head. I think I wrote everything in English. 

Anyway, back to the original topic, you can try this guide to experience Kali NetHunter. But I'm guessing you own a PC or laptop and don't need this. And again, who would take all that hassle?!..You don't look like you would.

I am afraid, I will break my device. I am not an expert in this field, so whatever you said just went ahead of my head. I used to read custom ROM setup guides in trickbd back in 2018,-19. But I never tried to do it because I always felt like I may break my device. But knowing all the benefits of using a custom ROM, I also wanted to give a try. But since I am not an advanced user, I don't think I will be able to do that. I needed an expert friend in real life who understand these things and fix any issues. Since I don't know anyone who may help me in real life, I am not going to take a risk.

Apparently a lot of people do, people like me. If you are a normal user who wants a hassle free life, then you can stick to your official ROM. But for people like me, I like to try new things, tweak my system, and do modifications. Although there are some advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that you get full control over your device and unlock it's full potential. You can do just whatever you want. I don't know if you ever noticed this, sometimes your phone will show ads that you cannot remove, or sometimes you will notice that there are some apps (bloatware) that you rarely use. They cannot be removed from the system, and most of the time it takes unnecessary storage. Now with the power of custom ROMs, you can change that. You can also overclock your CPU (not recommend, only for competive gamers), or underclock your CPU (basically turning off some of your CPU core to save battery), or modify the Linux kernel (only expert users), flash modules (root users), hack WIFI (don't tell anyone), or get unlimited Google photo storage (even though my device is Xiomie - Google thinks it's Pixel, so they give me their unlimited photo storage), the use cases are infinite. The only disadvantage is that you void your warranty, which I consider useless after 1-2 years. So yes..

Those who tasted the power of custom ROMs will never go back to stock. What I did was,

Day 1 : Buy the device
Day 2 : Unlock bootloader
Day 3 : Flash custom recovery and a custom ROM

And all set, knock me if you wanna know more!

Who checks these things, bro?
I don't know how many mobile phones I bought for myself and my friends. All they want to know is, how is the battery and the camera. Most of them use Smartphones to play PUBG or Free Fire. Some of them want to become TikTok stars. LOL. I don't think everyone cares if the manufacturer allows unlocking the bootloader. But people who use their device to do some modification and love to try custom ROMs will probably be interested to know more specifically about the device they are going to buy.

As far as I know, NO! You cannot manually install security/critical updates without having an unlocked bootloader. The only way to do this the official way. Phone manufacturers typically provide official updates for a certain period, like 4-7 years, after which support is discontinued. When that period ends, we unlock the device and try to keep it up to date along with various modifications, such as gaining Root user access. That's what I did with mine.

BTW, did you know it is impossible to unlock your bootloader (Huawei). They stopped providing the bootloader unlock code in 2018. So Huawei devices are unable to unlock the bootloader officially. You might find some 3rd party to buy the codes, but I have no idea where to look or whether they still provide those.

Brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, even Google are more flexible when it comes to, allowing their users to unlock their bootloaders relatively easily. Recently Xiaomi announced they are shutting down their bootloader unlock server. Sad news for us custom ROM users.

My suggestion would be to keep the current one as it is. Next time you buy a device, keep these factors in mind: "Does my manufacturer allow unlocking the bootloader? Does my device have sufficient support!"

-DS

@DYING_S0UL, unfortunately, as far as I can see, my smartphone (Huawei) is not on the list of supported phones from any of the mentioned OS. Is it theoretically possible to install security/critical updates for Android in any way, in the event that unfortunately I cannot install any of the alternative OS?

Technically speaking, if you have a smartphone with an unlocked bootloader and enough support from independent developers, you can upgrade it anytime you want. For example, I own a Xiaomi smartphone that stopped receiving it's official updates in around 2021, including the security updates. It was only updatable to Android 10* up until now. But currently, I'm now using Android 14 with the latest security update (September 5, 2024) and a custom kernel, all thanks to a custom ROM. It runs as smooth as butter. So yes, it's possible.

I'm not sure whether your phone have support or not, but you can give these a try:

• https://grapheneos.org/
• https://ubuntu-touch.io/
• https://lineageos.org/

This is definitely something interesting that I will put on my list when I have more time now that winter is coming and I will spend more time indoors. I have a solid smartphone with 6/128 which unfortunately hasn't received a security update for some time, so when I buy a new one I thought about trying to put an OS that would give me more privacy on the one I'm using now.

Is there any OS that is secure (open source) and easy to use - I'm primarily interested in using hot wallets like Electrum or BlueWallet on it?

You are right, Shishir99. Even if it were technically possible, I don't think we should run something we are unsure of. I could have installed the Bitcoin core and given you (PrivacyG) feedback, but just as Shishir99 said, you will run out of storage before you know it. I had to free up 20 GB of storage before the installation. And after the installations, I only had 5GB of storage left. But yes, if you have an 8/256 GB variant phone, then if you want to, you can give it a go. I don't know how to install Bitcoin Core, so I didn't. But again, I think that's unreliable. Using Kali Nethunter on an Android device for a long time can be unreliable. There can be app crashes, low memory kills, lags, hitting issues, etc. Nethunter can be quite handy in the hacking sector, to be honest. You run some tools, test, expoloit, etc. Or you could use PGP encryption (if it supports it). How much time would it take? Max 10 minutes, I guess.

Kali Nethunter is the perfect solution, for those who wanna, at least have a taste of Linux operating system on Android. 

I don't think it will be wise to run Bitcoin core on mobile device Linux as it takes a lot of time to synchronize with the network and consume a lot of internet. Do you think a mid-range device can handle this pressure? It needs at least 50 GB of free space even if anyone tries to run the pruned node. Forget about downloading the whole blockchain. Most mobile device comes with 64 GB storage if its RAM is 4 or 6 GB. Even a device with 128 GB storage won't be sufficient for this because most of the time the system takes up a lot of space. if you are an Android user, you should know this already. Even if anyone runs Bitcoin core, it will take ages to get syncronized.

The point of the tutorial is not for normal usage or anything for Android, like installing apps for normal usage, its mostly use for testing and penetration purpose for android correct me if I'm wrong.
I still remember when ubuntu plans to create a mobile phone and can be turn into desktop wonder what happen to that project, its been 9-10 years still have not heard of it, those who will donate will have a mobile phone to test.
see the link below :
https://www.simplilearn.com/tutorials/cyber-security-tutorial/what-is-kali-nethunter
https://kali.org/docs/nethunter/

You are correct.  If you had the knowledge, you would know.  But do you have the knowledge?  And if you do, you do not spend time auditing by yourself EVERY single ROM you flash, do you.  Every body does the same.  They trust by believing some body else must have audited it before them.

Almost all ROMs go unaudited and this is a serious concern for me.  It is your choice of course.  But I think it is worth noting the danger of this.  I would not trust a Custom ROM built by some random developer with my Hot Wallet.

If you are ever interested in security and Privacy, Ubuntu Touch is not a great choice for Privacy.  Better than what other Operating Systems offer but not great.  I would put Kali over Ubuntu Touch any time of the day.

Yes that's what I did on my tablet few years ago in order to check the Electrum APKs signature because I didn't find any UI Android app able to do it. As far as I remember I downloaded Termux from the Playstore and not from Github or F-droid and it worked well. But I would be surprised if there is still no user-friendly app able to do it. On a small smartphone using Termux is not really convenient. Does anyone know an Android app able to check files PGP signatures?

Then what is the point of using Linux on our smart phones if we can not use mobile applications? Though I think you are right a smart phone won't be able to install such a large file. I am not sure about this either but using a heavy application can make things slow and the capacity to run an application like this can be limited. I do understand that even if we can manage to install one it won't be as convenient as using an android application.

No dear, I wouldn't mind. I use custom ROMs for better performance and a good battery health. Built-in ROMS are filled with blotwares and stock ROM is just pure simple, lacking many features. That's the reason. But yes, nothing can beat Stock, no question in that. I have been testing these custom ROMs for years. Different base, different developer, different Android versions 10, 11, 13, 14. Just name it.

That's common for you to think and you are right. They pose security threat. But the thing is most to the ROMs are open source. So you get to view their code directly. If you had the knowledge, you would know if there were any vulnerabilities.

If I wanted privacy and security I would have used Ubuntu Touch. But I don't. I am a tester. I won't be using same Rom forever. I keep on changing, flashing and testing.  

Bitcoin Core can run on very weak devices.  It has to be a possibility to run it on the latest mid range Smart phones at least.

One thing I hate is lag. I used a Samsung android device a couple of years ago and I remember how it feels when your device lags. Devices with lower Ram and weak processors may lag running. But I am not sure yet because my device has 8 gigs of RAM, and I haven't installed it yet.


Don't dare to run heavy-weight software like Bitcoin core. But I don't think trying electrum will be a bad idea as it's not heavy software. What other crypto software do you guys want to use?  

Do you mind if I ask if you are using Custom ROMs with purposes such as better security or Privacy?

Custom ROMs are sometimes more dangerous than the Stock ROM.  Careful with what you are flashing on your phone.  You get to flash an Operating System that has been manipulated and handled by a group of people.  Sometimes just by one person even.  It is almost impossible to do this without creating vulnerabilities in the process too.  It would not be a surprise to find out these Custom ROMs have key loggers or other kind of Spyware built in.  I would not trust them.

Ubuntu Touch is fun.  But I rather have a more stripped down Operating System with more security and Privacy options.  Personal choice however.

Technically, it should work, yes. I have installed Kali NetHunter on a 4/64 variant smartphone, and it works just fine. I haven't seen any issues or lags. 4-6GB of RAM and 20GB of storage are enough. Yes, Shishir99, you can use OTG to navigate with a mouse and keyboard. To be honest, without a mouse and keyboard, you'll be crying, as navigation on Kali GUI was quite hard for me, as smartphones have smaller display. I had to zoom in and zoom out to go from place to place. Accidental touch would occur from time to time.

DVlog, I haven't personally used any crypto related software on my Kali NetHunter. So I don't know if it'll work or if it has a compatibility issue or not. To be honest, I don't know if our smartphones have that kind of capacity to run massive level software. The OS itself took up 20GB of my space. Imagine what would happen. But, again, yes, technically, it should work. Give it a try.

Cheers  

My phone supports OTG but it has only 4GB of ram which can slow my device I guess. I have the android version and storage if you are giving the correct answer regarding this. May be OP can shed some light on this and clear things up for both of us. I have used Linux on my computer before and it was Kali or Ubuntu, which I can not remember. It was few years ago but the experience was amazing. 

I guess any Android device over Android 10 and with 6 gigs of RAM and 20 gigs of free space in storage should work. I have not tried anything yet. Since DYING_S0UL already used it, he might have better knowledge regarding this. This looks very good. Whoever hasn't used a computer yet, it will be very interesting for them. If your device supports OTG, then it will be easier to use it with a mouse and keyboard. I have seen some streamers use their mobile device to play games with mous and keyboards using OTG and USB hub.

Exactly what I was looking for. The law and enforcement agency in my country has been very strict about crypto user and they are investigating peoples phones if they suspect anyone of using crypto. So I was looking for an option where I can use two OSs on a single device where I can use my regular android version of the phone and on top of that Kali Linux can give me a hideout for my crypto related applications. Do you have any list of devices where such setup can be used normally without any issue or just share the details of the phone's configuration that is needed to set this up?

Thank you very much DYING_S0UL!
I tried a couple of apps this week, and I thought those apps work like an emulator of Linux. I tried UserLAnd and Andronix, but they just installed the terminal. But I was trying to install the Desktop environment on my Android device. I did not have enough time, and I quickly gave up. I was trying this because most of our locals use Android devices, and they were looking for mobile tutorials. But as you may know, I don't understand much about Android like you. I will try this and install it to check how it works on my device. That was an excellent tutorial.

It's very specific though, the link is just for verifying file signature of Electrum binaries.
But it's generally the basic steps so it'll work in other binaries as well with the necessary modifications of course.

For message encryption, here are the steps (since I can't find any for Termux to link):

• After installing GnuPG as described in the first reply, create a new text file somewhere in Termux directory, for example in "Termux/Storage".
  Edit that text file to write the message that you want to encrypt, save.
• Open Termux and enter the command: gpg -a -r --encrypt ~/storage/
  (the recipient can be the email, uid or fingerprint, without the "<>", you can get it from your key-list: -k)
• Then, a ".asc" file will be created in the same directory containing the signed message.

Yes, you can basically run two operating systems on your mobile device through this.


It is not recommended to use this mid range smart phone. I did not have any problems using this, even though I installed the full version. Those who don't want everything but the basics of Linux can install the minimal or nano version. It's only 150 MB. There are other distros that might be compatible with your device.


Technically, it should support everything, but I don't think our phones have that kind of capability to run those massive softowers. But yes, it should work. I haven't tested it. I was out of storage, just the system took 17GB of my space.

No, your phone would not brick. It's not connected to your main OS.


I have heard of Ubuntu Touch before. I wanted to try that, but apparently I dont have a second device at this moment. Yes, they will replace the entire OS. Currently, I am a custom ROM user, meaning I flash these custom OS with my everyday needs. I have flashed over 50+ different custom roms and numerous custom kernels so far. It was fun, actually. At this moment, I am using CRDROID, based on Pixel OS.

Cheers  

It is rather similar to Virtual Machine.  You can run Kali Linux but only through Kex which is an application on Android.  Except sandboxing and running maybe some Kali applications I do not get the benefits of running a Virtual Machined Kali on an Android phone to be fair.

The Ubuntu Touch you mention was likely a FLASHED OS ported to work with a number of old phones and tablets.  That one was not a Virtual Machine but you were replacing Android entirely with Ubuntu or Manjaro.

It should support all the apps that are available for termux.

I did that on the Dex Environment of the Samsung on my Note 10+ and it works well, but the Linux Desktop environment was extremely slow maybe because it is like virtualized OS inside of another OS.

Just wow, I was looking for something like this before that support phone and I like the GUI but have you tried to install any Bitcoin wallet on the GUI?
Or it has limited app and software support?

I have dex on my Samsung phone connected to my smart TV with a keyboard it looks like a mini PC but it only supports the APK app.
So I just want to know if this can be cast or connected to a smart TV that works like a small PC with a mouse and keyboard and if it supports other software like Electrum appimage.

I just want it to try and I hope this won't brick my phone.

Once months ago I did that with some other Linux Desktop environment, it was just XFCE under Termux but it was extremely slow and my phone is or was a high end phone (Samsung Galaxy Note 10+).

So maybe some users will get disappointment with those Desktop environments under Android



Yes that is what they are doing, but if you ask me there is no need to that for some users that will be some complex, I use PGP and other Linux CLI tools on android - Termux every day, for example  i use it as my password manager with this tool: passwordstore an open source password manager

For me there is no need to use those tools under GUI environments. Maybe i need to do a video tutorial of how to use PGP/GPG in Termux without GUI, If you ask me it is more efficient and simple, but some people simple doesn't like command line tools...  

If I understand correctly this basically runs two operating systems on your smartphone, Android and Kali Linux?
This can be useful in some cases but people with older smartphones could also run Ubuntu Touch or Manjaro OS on their devices, even if this are not my favorite OS.
Debian Noroot is also an option, and I think that PinePhone is open source project that supports most major Linux phone projects.

Thank you for the link. I'll make sure to check it out.

Some users were asking for a tutorial on how to install Linux on a mobile device. That's the main reason I made it. Even if one doesn't use PGP in Kali Nethunter, at least he can enjoy Linux. It's like hitting two targets with one arrow.

For anyone who's only interested on only using PGP on Android without GUI, Termux is enough to install GnuPG.
So only the first few steps and a very little amount of storage is required in this use-case.

Simply install Termux, and follow Steps 1 to 4 in the instructions to update and set the necessary permissions.
Then install GnuPG via: apt install gnupg (current version 2.4.3)

After that, it's a matter of using GnuPG in the command line which has an abundant number of tutorials like: /index.php?topic=5240594.0#post_CmdInstruct
Example final result of the tutorial above in Termux:

Inspired by Learn Bitcoin's comprehensive guide on PGP, I've decided to create a tutorial on installing Kali NetHunter on Android device (Rootless).

Using this Android users will gain the ability to utilize PGP encryption on their devices with NetHunter. Hence completing the trilogy of guides on PGP across Windows, Linux and Android platform.

This tutorial is made on Android 11, but it should also work seamlessly on Android 12, 13 and 14.
 
Minimum installation requirements:

• 1. Minimum 15–20 GB of storage (Depends on the version you choose)
• 2. Knowledge of Command Prompt and Terminal apps
• 3. A working brain

---

➥ Step 1: Install Termux app from github/F-droid (Use VPN, in case of slow download).


➥ Step 2: Open termux and enter the following command to update package



➥ Step 3: When prompted for an action press Y and so you install the package maintainer’s version (6 times)


➥ Step 4: Allow storage permission



➥ Step 5: Install wget



➥ Step 6: Download NetHunter installation file



➥ Step 7: Change permission to execute the file



➥ Step 8: Execute the file



➥ Step 9: Enter the image you wanna install. You can choose full, minimal, nano. I will go for no 1.


➥ Step 10: Press N when asked for delete rootfs (The installation will take a while, 15-30 minutes depending on your internet speed).


After step 10, you will have to fix dbus-x11 error. Users are most likely to get this error after the first installation. To fix this problem you just have to change the DNS server and update some package.


➥ Step 11: Run the following command



➥ Step 12: Open the file /etc/resolve.conf



➥ Step 13: Edit the ip address to 8.8.8.8, Then Press ctrl + x and enter Y to save


➥ Step 14: Run apt update and apt install dbus



Now that we have fixed the error, we can continue further....


➥ Step 15: Enter NetHunter and Set the password for Kex VNC (press N to entering a view-only password)


➥ Step 16: Note down the port number, you will need it in step 19.


➥ Step 17: Download Nethunter app and install it.

➥ Step 18: Open the NetHunter app and search for Kex, install it and open it.


➥ Step 19: Enter the port number, username as kali, and your password from step 16 and press connect.


➥ Step 20: Voila!!! Now you have Rootless Kali NetHunter GUI on your Android device.

---

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➥ Related Tutorials:

• ▶ [Eng: Tutorial] PGP Signature - Encrypt/Decrypt message (Linux Only)
• ▶ [Eng: Tutorial] PGP Signature - Encrypt/Decrypt message - Fingerprint -mdayonliner- English
• ▶ PGP Tutorial Bangla - Windows- Learn Bitcoin - Bangla

➥ Reference used:

https://www.youtube.com/davidbombal
https://www.kali.org/docs/nethunter/nethunter-rootless/
https://store.nethunter.com/
https://github.com/termux/termux-app/issues/236