There are multiple ways to access a Kali system remotely. Traditionally, remote access to a kali system would be performed with a text only console using SSH. There is also a method of accessing kali and getting a full desktop environment. This can be particularly useful in cases where the Kali system is installed on a separate physical system and not in a virtual machine.
Remote Desktop (GUI) access
In Kali, open a terminal window and run the following commands. Substitute your username in place of ?mike? in the examples below:
# adduser mike Add a user for remote login. Set a password and other info.
# usermod -aG sudo mike Get an updated list of installable packages
# apt-get update Get an updated list of installable packages
# apt-get install xrdp Install the RDP server
# systemctl start xrdp Start the base XRDP server
# systemctl start xrdp-sesman Start the XRDP session manager
1. Open your remote desktop client in Windows. Enter the address of your Kali system and connect. You will likely get prompted that the identity of the computer cannot be verified and asked if you wish to connect anyway. Say yes, and optionally set the checkbox to not be prompted again. When you get to the Kali login GUI, keep ?Xorg? as the session and use the username and password created earlier. Once logged in you will be able to use and interact with the Kali desktop.
Assuming everything has worked to this point, you can enable XRDP to start automatically on subsequent boots with the following commands:
# systemctl enable xrdp
# systemctl enable xrdp-sesman
Terminal (text-only) Access using SSH
In Kali, open a terminal window and run the following commands:
# adduser mike Add a user for remote login. Set a password and other info.
# usermod -aG sudo mike Get an updated list of installable packages
# systemctl start ssh Start the base ssh server
On your PC, download and install Putty. Open putty. Enter the name or IP address of your Kali system in the Host Name field. Ensure the Port is set to 22 and the Connection Type field is ?SSH?. Click open.
You may be prompted that the SSH keys are not in your system and asked if you wish to proceed anyway. Click yes. Login with your username and password that you previously setup. Remember these are case-sensitive.
