Deploy Kali Linux on Google Cloud
Guide
Deploy Kali Linux on Google Cloud
I work a lot with cloud providers such as Amazon AWS, Azure, and occasionally Google Cloud. Personally, I really like the Google Cloud but using it as a platform for pen-testing has always been a little troublesome due to the fact I can’t just spin up a Kali Linux VM from a marketplace. In this post, I will show you how I create a custom Kali Linux Google Compute Engine instance. This method’s disadvantage is that it is time-consuming to upload your base Kali Linux OVA, but once you have it uploaded deployment of a Kali Linux instance is fast and easy.
What you need to start:
- Virtual Box
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads - Google Cloud SDK
https://cloud.google.com/sdk/ - Download the latest Kali Linux VirtualBox 64-bit OVA
https://www.offensive-security.com/kali-linux-vm-vmware-virtualbox-image-download/
*Once you have that all downloaded install VirtualBox and Google Cloud SDK.
Assumptions on my part:
I am assuming you already have a Google Cloud account and have some idea how everything works.
Recommended Reading:
Build Kali Linux Virtualbox
Create a new VM in Virtual Box
Create a new VM
Click “New” to create a new VM
Name: Kali
Type: Linux
Version: Debian (64-bit)
Click “Next”
Set your RAM amount:
In this build I am setting the RAM to 4GB.
Click “Next”
Create a virtual hard disk
Click “Next”
Click “Expert Mode”
Set File Size to 20GB
Set Hard disk file type: QCOW (QEMU Copy-On-Write)
Click “Create”
Edit Kali VM
Select the Kali VM
Click “Settings”
Select System and uncheck “Floppy” in Boot Order
Click “Network”
Select “Advanced” and set Adapter Type “Paravirtualized Network (virto-net)”
Click “Ok”
Click “Storage”
Select “Live CD/DVD” for Controller: IDE
Install and Configure Kali Linux
Install Kali Linux
Download the Kali “Bare Metal 64-bit” ISO
https://www.kali.org/get-kali/#kali-bare-metal
Set the Kali VM to boot from the Kali Install ISO:
Click “Devices” -> “Optical Drives” -> Select “Choose a disk file”
Select the Kali ISO file that was downloaded.
Select your Language, location and Keyboard layout, click “Continue”
Set a name for your install
Set your username and password
Configure your timezone
*Important* Manual Disk Configuration
Partition disks, select “Manual”
Select the virtualbox disk “SCSII (0,0,0)
“Create new empty partion table on this device?” – Select “Yes”
Select the new partition that was created “pri/log 21.5 GB” – Click “Continue”
Select “Create a new partition” – Click Continue
Set new partition size to “max” – Click Continue
Set partition type to “Primary” – Click Continue
Select “Done setting up the partition” – Click Continue
Select “Finish partitioning and write changes to disk” – Click Continue
Select “Done setting up the partition” – Click Continue
If prompted to return to the partition menu due to swap space select “No” – Click Continue
Write the changes to disk? Select Yes – Click Continue
Continue the install per your requirements.
Configure Kali Linux
As with any new Kali Linux install, we need to update the OS to start from a current state. The following commands will update and upgrade the Kali OS, all installed applications and clean up anything not being used anymore.
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt dist-upgrade
sudo apt autoremove
Enable SSH
Set the root password
$ sudo -i
# passwd
# New Password:
# Retype New Password:
Modify SSH Configuration File
nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Un-hash (#) the following lines:
PermitRootLogin yes
Password Authentication yes
Permanently enable the SSH service to start on every reboot
systemctl enable ssh.service
systemctl start ssh.service
systemctl status ssh.service
Customizations
Now that we have the basic requirements for running and accessing your Kali Linux using SSH you can add any other customizations that you will need. I prefer to keep the base build and script any additional software as needed for the engagement I am using it for. That was I can start any project with a documented base build.
You need may differ though. If you need or want GUI access you can install VNC. Some companies like to “brand” their OS builds and add custom backgrounds. Whatever your needs base requirements are feel free to do complete them at this point.
After you have completed all your customizations it time to shut down your VirtualBox Kali Linux VM.
Install Kali Linux on Google Cloud
Export
First we need to create a storage bucket to store the image so we can upload it. If you already have a storage bucket created and have the appropriate permissions you can skip this step.
To create a google storage bucket, run the following command:
gsutil mb gs://subproject9-imagestore/
Remember your bucket name must be unique and contain only lower-case letters.
Note:
If you need help installing the Google Cloud SDK:
https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install
Export Kali Linux VirtualBox
We need to get the Kali Linux VM to a format that Google Cloud can use. To do this we will need to export the VM disk image to disk.raw format.
Open WIndows Command Prompt and type:cd "\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox"
c:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>
Export the disk using VBoxManage:
VBoxManage clonemedium “C:\Users\User\VirtualBox VMs\Kali\Kalic.qcow” c:\users\subproject9\disk.raw –format RAW
Note: Use the path to where you have your VM stored.
Import the Image to Google Compute Engine
Enable the Cloud Build API
To be able to build a compute instance from an OVA file you need to enable the Cloud Build API. To do this by issuing the following command:
gcloud services enable cloudbuild.googleapis.com
Or you can enable the API by using the Google Cloud Console and searching for “Cloud Build” and clicking the “Enable the Cloud Build API” button.
Note:
Make sure your account has the following permissions:
roles/iam.serviceAccountTokenCreator
roles/compute.admin
roles/iam.serviceAccountUser
Upload Kali Linux Image to Google Cloud
Now, we have to upload the image into the storage bucket. To do this we first need to navigate where you exported VirtualBox image files are. In this example my image name is Kali.ova, if you have multiple images you can change the name with version number or dates.
To upload your image, navigate to the folder containing the image, and run the following commands:
gsutil cp disk.raw gs://subproject9-imagestore/disk.raw
Now, just sit back, have a cup of coffee, and wait for the file copy to finish
Create a Kali Linux Compute Instance
To create your Kali Linux compute instance, just run the following command:
gcloud compute instances import kali-instance1 \
--os=debian-9 --source-uri=gs://subproject9-imagestore/disk.raw \
--custom-cpu=2 --custom-memory=2048MB
If your account does not have the appropriate permission, this command will try to add the appropriate permissions.
Now just log into the Google Compute Engine Console https://console.google.com/compute to connect to it via SSH.
Repeat the above command anytime you want to spin up a new instance of Kali Linux image.
Helpful Google SDK Commands:
List all compute instances:gcloud compute instances listList all compute instances with IP addresses:gcloud compute addresses listNextSecuring Your MacbookNext
