Kali Docker Container Setup

A streamlined Docker setup for Kali Linux containers with pre-configured pentesting tools, oh-my-zsh, and powerlevel10k theme.

Setup Instructions

1. Clone and Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/DejaToris/kali-docker-setup.git
cd kali-docker-setup

# Make scripts executable
chmod +x *.sh

# First, create the baseline image (only needed once)
./create-baseline.sh

# Then quickly deploy containers
./quick-deploy.sh <container_name> <port>
./quick-deploy.sh kali-htb 4444

2. Alternative Methods

Docker Compose

# Start the container
docker-compose up -d

# Access the container
docker-compose exec custom-kali zsh

Manual Docker Commands

# Build the image
docker build -t custom-kali .

# Run the container
docker run -d \
    --name custom-kali \
    --privileged \
    --cgroupns=host \
    -v /sys/fs/cgroup:/sys/fs/cgroup:rw \
    -v ~/kali-docker-shares/ovpn-configs:/ovpn-configs:ro \
    -v ~/kali-docker-shares/scripts:/host-scripts:rw \
    --tmpfs /tmp \
    --tmpfs /run \
    --tmpfs /run/lock \
    -p 4444:22 \
    custom-kali

Project Scripts

This project provides three main scripts for managing Kali containers:

create-baseline.sh

Creates a baseline Docker image with all Kali packages installed. This is a one-time setup that takes significant time but enables fast container creation later.

./create-baseline.sh

quick-deploy.sh

Quickly creates new containers from the baseline image. Much faster than building from scratch.

./quick-deploy.sh <container_name> <port>
./quick-deploy.sh kali-htb 4444
./quick-deploy.sh kali-thm 5555

kali-manager.sh

Helps manage baseline images and containers with various utility commands:

./kali-manager.sh status              # Show baseline and container status
./kali-manager.sh list                # List all containers
./kali-manager.sh ports               # Show port usage
./kali-manager.sh clean-containers    # Remove stopped containers
./kali-manager.sh clean-baseline      # Remove baseline image
./kali-manager.sh clean-old-baselines # Remove old baseline images (keep latest)

Host Directory Setup

The scripts automatically create these directories:

~/kali-docker-shares/ovpn-configs  # For VPN configuration files
~/kali-docker-shares/scripts       # For custom scripts

VPN Configurations

• Place your .ovpn files in ~/kali-docker-shares/ovpn-configs/
• They'll be available in /ovpn-configs/ inside the container
• Example: openvpn /ovpn-configs/htb-lab.ovpn

Custom Scripts

• Place executable scripts in ~/kali-docker-shares/scripts/
• They'll be automatically added to PATH inside the container
• Example: Create ~/kali-docker-shares/scripts/my-enum.sh and it'll be available as my-enum.sh from anywhere in the container

Container Access

SSH Access

ssh root@localhost -p <port>
# Password: kali
# Replace <port> with the port you specified when creating the container

Direct Docker Access

docker exec -it custom-kali zsh

Common Commands

Metasploit

# Start Metasploit (database already configured)
msfconsole

# Check database status
msfdb status

VPN Connection

# Connect to HTB/THM/etc
openvpn /ovpn-configs/your-config.ovpn

Using SecLists

# SecLists are installed at /usr/share/seclists/
ls /usr/share/seclists/

# Common wordlists
/usr/share/seclists/Discovery/Web-Content/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt
/usr/share/seclists/Passwords/Common-Credentials/10-million-password-list-top-1000.txt
/usr/share/seclists/Usernames/Names/names.txt

# Example usage with gobuster
gobuster dir -u http://target.com -w /usr/share/seclists/Discovery/Web-Content/common.txt

# Example usage with hydra
hydra -L /usr/share/seclists/Usernames/top-usernames-shortlist.txt \
      -P /usr/share/seclists/Passwords/Common-Credentials/top-passwords-shortlist.txt \
      ssh://target.com

Shell Features

# Powerlevel10k theme is pre-configured with:
# - Directory and git status in prompt
# - Command execution time
# - Syntax highlighting and auto-suggestions
# - Custom aliases for pentesting

# Pre-configured aliases:
ll          # List files with details
wordlists   # Browse seclists wordlists  
weblist     # Browse web content wordlists
nse         # Search nmap scripts
myip        # Get external IP
ports       # Show listening ports

# Pre-configured functions:
quickscan <target>         # Fast nmap scan
dirb_common <url>         # Directory enumeration
hydra_ssh <target> <user> # SSH password attack
serve [port]              # Quick HTTP server

Container Management

# Stop container
docker stop custom-kali

# Start container
docker start custom-kali

# Restart container
docker restart custom-kali

# View logs
docker logs custom-kali

# Remove container
docker rm custom-kali

# Rebuild image
docker build -t custom-kali . --no-cache

Customization

Adding More Tools

Edit the Dockerfile and add packages to the apt-get install command:

RUN apt-get install -y \
    your-additional-tool \
    another-tool

Changing Host Directories

Modify the volume mounts in:

• quick-deploy.sh (update HOST_OVPN_DIR and HOST_SCRIPTS_DIR)
• docker-compose.yml (update the volumes section)

Adding More Ports

Add port mappings in the docker run command or docker-compose.yml:

-p HOST_PORT:CONTAINER_PORT

Troubleshooting

Container Won't Start

# Check logs
docker logs <container-name>

# Verify systemd is working
docker exec -it <container-name> systemctl status

Metasploit Database Issues

# Reinitialize database
docker exec -it <container-name> msfdb reinit

SSH Connection Refused

# Check if SSH is running
docker exec -it <container-name> systemctl status ssh

# Restart SSH
docker exec -it <container-name> systemctl restart ssh

Permission Issues with Scripts

# Make scripts executable
chmod +x ~/kali-docker-shares/scripts/your-script.sh

Workflow

The typical workflow for using this project:

1. One-time setup: Run ./create-baseline.sh to build the baseline image with all tools
2. Deploy containers: Use ./quick-deploy.sh <name> <port> to quickly create containers
3. Manage containers: Use ./kali-manager.sh to check status, clean up, etc.
4. Reuse baseline: The baseline image can be reused to create multiple containers quickly

Security Notes

• The container runs with --privileged for systemd functionality
• Root password is set to "kali" for SSH access
• Only use in trusted/isolated environments
• Consider changing the SSH password for production use
• Port conflicts are automatically detected to prevent accidental exposure

Advanced Usage

Multiple Baselines

Create specialized baselines by modifying the Dockerfile:

# Create a web-focused baseline
# Edit Dockerfile to add more web tools, then:
./create-baseline.sh
docker tag kali-baseline:latest kali-web-baseline:latest

# Create containers from specific baseline using manual docker commands
docker run -d --name web-container kali-web-baseline:latest

Custom Tool Integration

# Add your tools to the scripts directory
echo '#!/bin/bash\nnmap -sS -O $1' > ~/kali-docker-shares/scripts/quick-scan
chmod +x ~/kali-docker-shares/scripts/quick-scan

# Now available in all containers as: quick-scan <target>

Available Scripts Summary

Script	Purpose	Usage
create-baseline.sh	Build baseline image with all tools (slow, one-time)	./create-baseline.sh
quick-deploy.sh	Create containers quickly from baseline	./quick-deploy.sh <name> <port>
kali-manager.sh	Manage containers and baseline images	./kali-manager.sh [status|list|ports|clean-containers|clean-baseline|clean-old-baselines]