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We did mention nUbuntu long ago in our famous 10 Best Security Live CD Distros (Pen-Test, Forensics & Recovery) article.
After that it stopped development for quite some time, thankfully some new blood has picked it up and development has started again!
With over a year of inactivity, the latest alpha of nUbuntu 8.04 has finally surfaced.
With this comes many new bug fixes and updates. All of the latest security and penetration tools are included to make this you’re primary pentesting livecd.
The main goal of nUbuntu is to create a distribution which is derived from the Ubuntu distribution, and add packages related to security testing, and remove unneeded packages, such as Gnome, Openoffice.org, and Evolution. nUbuntu is the result of an idea two people had to create a new distribution for the learning experience.
Many people ask, “What makes it better than X?”, or “Why should I use this over Y”. Our answer to this question is, we do not think about whether people are using it or not. We are more concerned about the learning process. If you want to try something with a clean interface, fast, and an excellent range of programs please don’t hesitate to download nUbuntu.
You can download nUbuntu 8.04 here:
nUbuntu – 8.04 (x86) (Torrent)
nUbuntu – 8.04 (x86) (Direct)
Or read more here.
razta says
Downloading now. Will burn, boot and let you guys know my thoughts on the livecd.
d347hm4n says
Likewise, but will it replace BackTrack in the near future, we’ll just have to wait and see…
zupakomputer says
Does it by default have an inactive root account (like usual Ubuntu)? I always find that amusing, that by the time anyone gets to security distro kinda level they would bother with anything less than root (well other than for messing about trying various things work at user level configs).
I’ll have to get this one too at some point; I take it it’s Hardy Heron based, given the release number. Maybe the final version will be based on the next one, something (I forget) Ibix, cause that’s already underway..
Gul says
Like d34thm4n, asking myself if it will replace backtrack…
But i won’t wait, have to test it and make my judgment by myself ;)
Gonna download it and use it tomorrow. More later
sids911 says
@DarkNet…time for another round of Distro comparison? considering last one was done a couple years back? 14th march 2006 to be precise!
jason says
The selection of LiveCDs with a security focus seems to be growing. But what about focus on a yum/apt repo so I can easily turn my standard ubuntu or fedora machine into a pentesting workstation.
Morgan Storey says
I used it back in the day when some machine’s user/pass was unknown, never failed me. I like the interface, but I don’t know if it can match Backtracks speed and range of tools, we will have to see.
gul says
I tryed it quickly at home, but was not as convinced as I was with backtrack. Not that the application packages is poor or some good stuff are missing. But, all I saw was a livecd with a bunch of security apps. Cool… But I can do it myself on a USB key…
The all fluxbox interface is cool (I used it at home), but where is the added value ? Really, I was a bit disappointed. So, yes it’s cool, the security softwares are up-to-date, nothing more…
And I had some strange problems with my wifi-usb-key, that were not present in backtrack. Didn’t investigate deeply, but when I’ll find it, I’ll notice the nUbuntu team. Have to help them make it a better distro, after all… No just complaining about what I should have done :p
splink says
I too gave this a test drive and was pretty under-whelmed. Some of the tools where configured incorrectly/didn’t work well/at all but otherwise it’s an alright toolset. For all who asked: it does not compare with backtrack.