Enhancing Ethical Hacking Efficiency: Integrating Kali Linux with VSCode

Integrating Kali Linux with VSCode

The integration of Kali Linux with VSCode, facilitated by the Remote — SSH extension, creates a seamless development environment for ethical hacking. This setup allows cybersecurity professionals to utilize the powerful tools of Kali Linux directly from within VSCode, combining the best of both worlds: the extensive security and penetration testing toolkit of Kali Linux with the sophisticated code editing and management features of VSCode.

How to setup?

1. Setup SSH on Kali Linux: Ensure SSH is installed and configured on your Kali Linux system. This enables remote access and is the first step in integrating with VSCode.

# install the OpenSSH Server
sudo apt install openssh-server -y

# start the SSH Service
sudo systemctl start ssh

# Enable SSH to Start on Boot
sudo systemctl enable ssh

# (option) check SSH Service Status
sudo systemctl status ssh

2. Install VSCode and Remote — SSH Extension: Download and install Visual Studio Code on your primary machine. Then, add the Remote — SSH extension from the VSCode marketplace.

or you can also search it in VSCode by simply typing remote SSH

3. Connect to Kali Linux: With the Remote — SSH extension installed, you can easily connect to your Kali Linux machine by entering its SSH credentials. Once connected, you can access your Kali Linux filesystem and start using its tools directly from VSCode.

press F1 or Ctrl+Shift+P to open the command prompt then type >ssh, select Remote-SSH: Add New SSH Host

VSCode will have to setup Kali linux the first time and it will prompt out the dialog ask you the password of Kali linux.

4. Once everything is set up, you will be able to use the Kali Linux command line directly from the VSCode terminal, enhancing your ability to write hacking utilities with greater ease.