How to Upgrade Metasploit Framework on Kali Linux From Metasploit Repository?

Metasploit Framework is one of the most popular open-source penetration testing tools used by ethical hackers and cybersecurity professionals. It provides an easy way to find and exploit vulnerabilities on networks and systems. However, like any software, Metasploit needs to be updated regularly to take advantage of the latest exploits, payloads, evasion modules, and other enhancements.

Unfortunately, the Metasploit updates are not always available in the standard Kali Linux repositories. So if you rely on the default apt update and apt upgrade commands, you may not have the most recent Metasploit version. In this blog post, we will show you how to easily upgrade Metasploit on Kali Linux directly from the Metasploit repository. This ensures you are running the latest and greatest version with all the newest features.

A Short Introduction to Metasploit Framework

Metasploit Framework is a popular open-source penetration testing platform developed by Rapid7. It comes pre-installed on Kali Linux and provides a powerful environment for developing and executing exploit code against target systems.

Some of the key features of Metasploit include:

With its many capabilities, Metasploit Framework is a Swiss Army knife for penetration testers and security researchers. Keeping it updated ensures access to the latest exploits and features.

What are the Common Problems to Upgrade Metasploit on Kali Linux

There could be a few common problems that prevent you from easily upgrading Metasploit on your Kali Linux distribution:

These issues can be frustrating when you want to quickly update to the newest Metasploit capabilities on Kali. Fortunately, there are solutions to overcome these roadblocks.

What is the Solution?

If network issues are preventing you from downloading packages over HTTP/HTTPS, an easy workaround is to download the Metasploit .deb package on a separate machine. Then transfer it to the Kali Linux system and install it directly offline using. dpkg.

However, if you can access repositories over the network, upgrading the Metasploit Framework directly from the Metasploit repository is the best approach. This allows you to always have the latest version without waiting for package updates to reach the main Kali archives.

Let’s look at the step-by-step process.

How to Upgrade Metasploit on Kali Linux?

Kali Linux manages software packages and updates using the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT). By default, it installs and upgrades packages from the standard Community repository containing stable releases.

However, for a rapidly evolving penetration testing tool like Metasploit, you’ll want the very latest version with all the newest exploits and features.

The Community repo lags behind the newest Metasploit releases. So, after checking your current version with msfconsole -v, you may find it outdated compared to the latest available.

Instead of waiting for Community to catch up, you can leverage two other Kali package repositories – Bleeding Edge and Experimental. These contain more frequent updates, albeit with less testing.

If your desired Metasploit upgrade is not found in Community, Bleeding Edge, or Experimental, you need to go straight to the source – the official Metasploit repository.

Here are the detailed steps to upgrade Metasploit on Kali:

Step 1: Check the Metasploit Version

Launch the Metasploit console and pass the -v flag to print the current version:

msfconsole -v

Note this release number before starting the upgrade.