Parrot Security has officially launched Parrot OS 6.0, marking the latest iteration of its Debian-based security-focused distribution tailored for ethical hacking and penetration testing enthusiasts.
Highlighting a commitment to providing a sophisticated yet user-friendly environment, Parrot OS 6.0 debuts nearly a year after its predecessor, Parrot OS 5.2. Drawing from the foundations of the Debian GNU/Linux 12 “Bookworm” operating system series, the release distinguishes itself by opting for the cutting-edge Linux 6.5 kernel over the long-term supported Linux 6.1 LTS kernel found in Debian Bookworm. This strategic choice enhances hardware support by incorporating backported DKMS modules for Wi-Fi drivers.
The update brings an enhanced installation experience through the utilization of the Calamares installer, a refreshed system appearance maintaining the MATE desktop environment, and the adoption of PipeWire as the default audio system, replacing PulseAudio. GRUB fail-safe boot options contribute to a more reliable and secure booting process, while VirtualBox, backported from Debian Sid, augments virtualization support.
In addition to a comprehensive update of penetration testing tools to reflect the latest hacking methodologies, Parrot OS 6.0 introduces an experimental containerization feature for unsupported tools, fostering increased flexibility. Notably, the release incorporates a new libc6 library and Python 3.11, facilitating the upgrade of various tools to their latest upstream versions.
The development team elucidated, “This will enable future versions of Parrot to bring in several tools that were either deprecated/dropped in the past, or that were never added before due to their integration complexity.”
Parrot OS 6.0 is available for download in multiple flavors, including Security Edition, Home Edition, and Hack The Box Edition, directly from the official website. Existing users of Parrot OS can seamlessly upgrade to the new release by executing the provided commands twice in a terminal emulator:
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgradeAnticipating the needs of the Raspberry Pi community, Parrot OS 6.0 is set to introduce a dedicated Raspberry Pi Edition, boasting compatibility with the latest Raspberry Pi 5. Testing and a detailed review of this edition will be conducted shortly, shedding light on its performance on the cutting-edge Raspberry Pi hardware.
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