BlackArch Linux

An Arch Linux-based penetration-testing distribution and repository offering one of the largest single collections of security tools of any distro -- well over 2,800 at last count.

Security, Privacy & Anonymitysecuritypenetration-testingArch-basedrolling-releaseDownload ↗Official site ↗Docs / Wiki ↗

Based on

Arch Linux

First released

2013

Package manager

pacman

Desktop environments

None by default (window-manager-agnostic; can install any)

BlackArch is distributed as an installable ISO but is equally usable as an add-on repository layered onto an existing Arch Linux install, giving Arch users access to its enormous security-tool catalog without switching distributions entirely. Its tool count dwarfs Kali's and Parrot's by a wide margin, organized into dozens of categories (exploitation, forensics, wireless, cracking, and more), reflecting Arch's own philosophy of making the widest possible software selection available rather than a curated subset. It assumes Arch-level user comfort with a rolling-release, DIY-configured system, making it a better fit for experienced Arch users specializing in security work than for security beginners.

MirrorNest doesn't mirror distro ISOs — installation media should always come straight from the project's own official download page (linked above), so you get the correct checksum/signature to verify against.