Kali Linux images (Rex's 7.1.y and the CM4 wiki build)
Rex's Kali image for CM4 and CM5 on the uConsole kernel with the hardware presets; cuu's original CM4 build is documented on the ClockworkPi wiki.
What it takes
- Software only
Difficulty 1 of 3 — easy.
Details
Rex's Kali thread (September 2024) follows the pattern of his other images: Kali on his patched Pi kernel, external antenna preset, auto-expanding filesystem, headers included, kernel updates via APT, login kali/kali. Flash the .xz without decompressing it and do not apply Raspberry Pi Imager's custom settings. The OS directory lists it for CM4 and CM5, and it was refreshed for the new screens in February 2026 (Kali 2026.2).
Before that, cuu built a Kali image for the CM4 by chrooting into the Kali ARM64 image, swapping in the uconsole-kernel-cm4-rpi package from the ClockworkPi APT repository and fixing rotation; the wiki page walks through the steps and doubles as a template for porting any Debian-based distribution.
Links
Open at Forum threadRelated mods
Rex's Parrot OS build for CM3/CM4/CM5 in Home and Security editions, plus krokowitz's Security spin with RTL-SDR and ALFA drivers preinstalled.
The community's recommended OS: Debian 13 on Rex's patched Pi kernel, desktop and Lite variants, for CM3+, CM4, CM4S and CM5.
The previous Debian release of Rex's line, still rebuilt for the new screens in 2026 — the fallback when something on Trixie is not ready yet.
Rex's build of DragonOS Pi64 — an Ubuntu 22.04 SDR distribution with the radio tools preinstalled — on the uConsole kernel for CM4 and CM5.
Ubuntu on the uConsole kernel for CM3/CM4/CM5 — originally 24.04, now 26.04 on the 7.1.y kernel line.
Rex's port of TwisterOS — a themed Raspbian derivative with Box86/Box64, Wine and Pi-Apps — for the uConsole and DevTerm.