A few days ago, the Parrot Security team announced the official launch of the New version of Parrot 7.0, codenamed "Echo", in honor of Mauritius's parakeetThis new version marks a significant point for the distribution, as it is not a simple incremental update, but a complete system rewrite which aligns the platform with the innovations introduced by Debian 13 "Trixie".
The cThe most visible and profound change is the adoption of KDE Plasma 6 as the default desktop environment, abandoning the classic MATE-based configuration. This transition is not merely aesthetic; Developers have created their own themes and settings to ensure that Plasma is extremely lightweight and efficient.It also uses Wayland as the default graphics server. This modernizes the user experience and improves security by better isolating graphical applications, a critical aspect for the distribution.
Pentesting tools and artificial intelligence
True to its mission, Parrot 7 "Echo" renews its arsenal offensive and defensive security. The meta-package parrot-tools now pre-installs a much wider range of utilities that previously required manual installation, such as Autorecon, Bloodhound and TrufflehogOptimizing deployment time for professionals. In addition to thator essential tools have been updated such as Burp Suite, Maltego and the Go development environment, in addition to integrating new solutions such as convoC2 and evil-winrm-py.
However, the The most relevant new development is the firm commitment to Artificial Intelligence. Parrot 7 iIt introduces a dedicated AI category in its applications menu.Launched with the Hexstrike AI tool, the team's vision is not just to ride the wave of automation, but to provide an environment for auditing the security of large language models (LLMs) and experimenting with prompt engineering techniques. According to the developers, the true AI revolution in cybersecurity will come from protecting these technologies, not just using them.
On the other hand, it is mentioned that the rParrot 7 repositories are compatible with Debian 13 (with any desktop or virtual machine environment, including GNOME). While it is compatible, the developers mention that It is always advisable to make a backup before performing any similar operation. This involves adding new repositories and packages to the system. Given the large number of possible configurations when using Debian, it is recommended to proceed with the installation of the Core Edition and, if necessary, gradually install the Home/Security Edition.
RISC-V and system updates
Parrot 7 becomes the first penetration testing distribution (pentesting) in offering official support for the RISC-V architectureThe entire distribution repository has been compiled for this open architecture, and a pre-assembled rootfs file is provided, positioning Parrot at the forefront of open hardware.
At the system level, The parrot-updater update tool has been completely rewritten Using the Rust language and GTK4 libraries, it features an intuitive graphical interface that checks for updates weekly. Furthermore, the Images for Docker and the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) have been synchronized with version 7.0, facilitating the use of Parrot in virtualized and continuous development (CI/CD) environments.
Last but not least, it is mentioned that the redesign not only affected the operating system, but also The website has been renewed and modernized in terms of design.As such, the developers mention that there is still much work to be done, but it will continue to improve over time. It still runs on React and Next.js, and its dependencies have been updated to the latest stable versions.
Installation and update
Given the magnitude of the changes, especially the transition from MATE to KDE Plasma 6 and the restructuring of the configuration files in /etc/skel, The development team strongly recommends performing a clean installation. to ensure stability and performance. Although sAn upgrade path will be offered from version 6.x "Lorykeet", which will maintain the MATE desktop environment. and will require manual intervention to migrate user settings.
For Raspberry Pi users are advised to use the "Core" edition In older models like the 3B, the full desktop experience was reserved for devices with at least 4 GB of RAM due to Plasma's higher graphics load.