What is Parrot Security OS? Features & Installation

In the last few decades, penetration testing and ethical hacking have significantly grown in popularity and industry demand. From learning the dangers of the internet to safeguarding data against hackers, the software market has become rather vigilant of the potential millions they stand to lose in the event of a breach. To further promote this level of awareness, Parrot Security OS has been developed as an operating system catered to ethical hackers. 

In the first section of this tutorial, you will learn about the importance and relevant details of such a niche operating system.

Become a Certified Ethical Hacker!

CEH v12 - Certified Ethical Hacking CourseExplore Program

What Is Parrot Security OS?

Parrot Security OS is a Linux (specifically Debian) based operating system designed for ethical hackers and penetration testers and was initially launched in 2013. Parrot OS may be viewed as a completely portable laboratory for a wide range of cyber security operations ranging from pen testing to reverse engineering and digital forensics. But, it also contains everything you need to safeguard your data and build your own software.

Parrot OS is often updated and offers a wide range of hardening and sandboxing options to users. The distribution's utilities are designed to work with most devices using containerization technologies such as Docker or Podman. Parrot OS is exceptionally lightweight and runs surprisingly quickly on all computers, making it an excellent choice for outdated hardware or limited resources systems.

It features a distinct "Forensics Mode" that does not mount any of the system's hard discs or partitions and has no influence on the host system, making it more stealthy than its regular mode. This mode is used on the host system to undertake forensic procedures.

To run the parrot security operating system on a device, the minimum requirements are relatively modest, as can be seen in the next section.

What Are the System Requirements for Parrot Security OS?

The minimum system requirements to run a full-fledged installation of parrot security are as below:

• No Graphical Acceleration Required
• Minimum 320MB RAM is required
• A minimum 1GHZ dual-core CPU is required
• It can boot in legacy and UEFI modes as well
• At least 16GB of hard disk space is needed to install the operating system

Despite its meager requirements, the performance of parrot security has always been top-notch. Now, look at its distinct features as an operating system.

Features of Parrot Security OS

• Custom Kernel: Along with all the giant catalog of scripts, parrot security has its own hardened Linux kernel, modified explicitly to provide as much security and resistance to hackers as possible as the first line of defense.
• Variety of Apps: All the tools you find in Kali Linux, a well-known penetration testing operating system, are present in Parrot Security, and then a few extra ones for good measure. This has been achieved while keeping roughly the exact size of the operating system between both operating systems.
• Customizable Desktop: They provide a choice between two different desktop environments, MATE, which comes pre-installed by default, and KDE. You can think of desktop environments as the main UI for a Linux distribution for those unfamiliar with Linux terminology.
• Lightweight: One of the primary advantages of parrot OS over Kali Linux is that it is relatively lightweight. This implies that it takes significantly less disc space and computing power to function correctly, with as little as 320MB of RAM required.

Now that you are well aware of parrot security's unique offerings for professionals, look at the variety of ways a user can go about when installing the operating system.

Become a Certified Ethical Hacker!

CEH v12 - Certified Ethical Hacking CourseExplore Program

Ways to Install Parrot Security

There are four primary ways how one can use the Parrot OS.

1. Live USB Mode: Parrot security may be flashed on a USB stick with a minimum storage size of 8 GB. Some scenarios provide persistent storage in live USBs, although this necessitates further modification. After flashing the ISO image, the stick may boot into a functioning instance of the operating system.
2. Hard Disk Installation: To ensure that the alterations made to the system are permanent, parrot security may be installed on a hard disc, overwriting any other data or operating system. While the live boot desktop cleans user data on reboot, the changes to hard disc installations are permanent.
3. Virtualization: As a virtual machine instance, parrot security may be operated as an operating system in a host OS. The hardware specifications are entirely adjustable. Using a virtual machine instead of installing the operating system directly on a hard disk allows users to fine-tune their installation specifications like allotted RAM, storage, USB input, etc.
4. Dual Boot with Windows: In this case, parrot security OS will be installed alongside any pre-existing operating system on a workstation rather than replacing it. Many individuals choose to keep Windows and parrot os installed, so work and leisure activities are essentially divided between the two.

With this, you have covered all the planned topics on Parrot security.

Conclusion

This tutorial taught you what parrot security OS is, its minimum system requirements, distinguishing benefits, and the many ways we may utilize it during penetration testing during installation. With parrot security being the go-to Linux distribution for ethical hackers, it must be used in conjunction with appropriate study material. Because the operating system has been fine-tuned for professional and personal usage, tutorials for the necessary tools and techniques are also expected to be top-notch.

Simplilearn offers a Advanced Executive Program in Cybersecurity course that covers all the topics beginners and intermediate professionals need in the ethical hacking sector. Major topics like network sniffing, enumeration, and malware analysis are covered to prepare learners for their interview process and eventual corporate experience. With the IT industry looking for trained cybersecurity personnel, the time has never been more perfect to start your first course in ethical hacking.

Do you have any questions about this tutorial about parrot security OS? Please leave your questions in the comments box below, and we will respond as soon as possible.