Installed Kali Linux as Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in Windows 10 and tried to run an update. Immediately it gave me the following error: Missing key 827C8569F2518CC677FECA1AED65462EC8D5E4C5, which is needed to verify signature. Are you experiencing the same issue with your Kali Linux WSL installation? Many users encounter this frustrating yet common problem when trying to update their system. Thankfully, there’s a straightforward solution that only takes a minute to implement.

The Problem: Missing GPG Key Error

When running sudo apt update on a fresh Kali Linux WSL installation, you might encounter this detailed error message: Missing key 827C8569F2518CC677FECA1AED65462EC8D5E4C5

┌──(blackmore㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ sudo apt update
Get:1 http://hlzmel.fsmg.org.nz/kali kali-last-snapshot InRelease [41.5 kB]
Err:1 http://hlzmel.fsmg.org.nz/kali kali-last-snapshot InRelease
Sub-process /usr/bin/sqv returned an error code (1), error message is: Missing key 827C8569F2518CC677FECA1AED65462EC8D5E4C5, which is needed to verify signature.
Warning: GPG error: http://hlzmel.fsmg.org.nz/kali kali-last-snapshot InRelease: Sub-process /usr/bin/sqv returned an error code (1), error message is: Missing key 827C8569F2518CC677FECA1AED65462EC8D5E4C5, which is needed to verify signature.
Error: The repository 'http://http.kali.org/kali kali-last-snapshot InRelease' is not signed.
Notice: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
Notice: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.

This error appears because your system is missing the required GPG key to verify the Kali Linux repository signatures. Without this key, your system cannot securely download updates or install new packages, leaving you unable to access the latest security tools and features that make Kali Linux so valuable.

The error specifically mentions key Missing key 827C8569F2518CC677FECA1AED65462EC8D5E4C5, which is the Kali Linux archive signing key. This is a critical component of the APT package management system’s security model, preventing potential man-in-the-middle attacks or tampering with software packages.

The Quick Solution: Download the Latest GPG Key

Turns out, I just need to download the latest gpg key. Fixing this issue requires downloading the latest archive keyring directly from the official Kali Linux repositories. Here’s the simple one-line command that resolves the problem:

┌──(blackmore㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ sudo wget https://archive.kali.org/archive-keyring.gpg -O /usr/share/keyrings/kali-archive-keyring.gpg
--2025-05-19 22:45:49--  https://archive.kali.org/archive-keyring.gpg
Resolving archive.kali.org (archive.kali.org)... 192.99.45.140
Connecting to archive.kali.org (archive.kali.org)|192.99.45.140|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 3464 (3.4K) [text/plain]
Saving to: ‘/usr/share/keyrings/kali-archive-keyring.gpg’

/usr/share/keyrings/kali-arch 100%[=================================================>]   3.38K  --.-KB/s    in 0s

2025-05-19 22:45:50 (122 MB/s) - ‘/usr/share/keyrings/kali-archive-keyring.gpg’ saved [3464/3464]

Successful Update After Fix

Once I’ve done that, it simply updates without any issues. After downloading the GPG key, just run the update command again:

┌──(blackmore㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ sudo apt update
Get:1 http://mirror.lagoon.nc/kali kali-last-snapshot InRelease [41.5 kB]
Get:2 http://mirror.lagoon.nc/kali kali-last-snapshot/main amd64 Packages [20.5 MB]
Get:3 http://mirror.lagoon.nc/kali kali-last-snapshot/main amd64 Contents (deb) [49.0 MB]
Get:4 http://mirror.lagoon.nc/kali kali-last-snapshot/contrib amd64 Packages [115 kB]
Get:5 http://mirror.lagoon.nc/kali kali-last-snapshot/contrib amd64 Contents (deb) [266 kB]
Get:6 http://mirror.lagoon.nc/kali kali-last-snapshot/non-free amd64 Packages [196 kB]
Get:7 http://mirror.lagoon.nc/kali kali-last-snapshot/non-free amd64 Contents (deb) [878 kB]
Get:8 http://mirror.lagoon.nc/kali kali-last-snapshot/non-free-firmware amd64 Packages [10.6 kB]
Get:9 http://mirror.lagoon.nc/kali kali-last-snapshot/non-free-firmware amd64 Contents (deb) [24.2 kB]
Fetched 71.1 MB in 5s (13.4 MB/s)
1 package can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see it.

Why This Happens

This issue typically occurs when:

• You’ve installed a new Kali Linux WSL instance
• The packaged keyring is outdated
• The Kali repositories have updated their signing keys

Keeping your GPG keys updated ensures that your system can verify the authenticity of packages, protecting you from potentially malicious software. That’s it. Enjoy