Parrot Security OS
Debian-based distribution for pentesting, digital forensics, and privacy
Parrot Security OS has no official, structured tool listing we can auto-sync (unlike Kali, BlackArch, REMnux, and Tails). The tools below are maintained by hand and may be incomplete or outdated — check the official docs for the current tool set.
Last verified September 4, 2026
Parrot Security OS is a Debian-based distribution aimed at penetration testers, security researchers, and privacy-conscious users. It overlaps heavily with Kali’s tool catalog but is lighter on system resources by default and ships additional privacy/anonymity tooling and a sandboxed architecture for running untrusted tools more safely.
Use it only against systems you own or are explicitly authorized to test — see the disclaimer.
Notable bundled toolsmanually maintained
burpsuite
Platform for security testing of web applications
john
Active password cracking tool
metasploit-framework
Framework for exploit development and vulnerability research
nmap
The Network Mapper
wireshark
Network traffic analyzer - graphical interface
Getting started
Parrot offers several editions: Security (full pentest tool set), Home (everyday use with privacy tooling), and a small HTC edge/IoT edition. Most people evaluating it for pentesting want the Security edition, available as an installer ISO or a virtual machine image. The official docs walk through installation, the MATE desktop layout, and Parrot's "AnonSurf" and sandboxing tools that distinguish it from other pentest distributions.