If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to bring the power of Kali Linux to your pocket, this conversation is for you. Today, we sit down with Attila Kalman also known as @yesimxev, one of the core contributors to Kali NetHunter, the mobile penetration testing platform that has redefined hacking on the go. From humble beginnings as a curious script kiddie inspired by the Watch Dogs game, and Mr. Robot to becoming a key figure in the NetHunter ecosystem, his journey is nothing short of fascinating.

In this blog, you’ll discover:

• The origin story: How a Firefox bookmark and a OnePlus One sparked an 8-year adventure into mobile hacking.
• Device evolution: From classic OnePlus and Samsung Galaxy models to smartwatches capable of capturing WPA2 handshakes.
• Expert insights: Which Android devices today offer the best NetHunter experience—and why no single phone has it all.
• Future vision: AR glasses, Android Auto integration, and even OSINT-powered face recognition—what’s next for NetHunter?
• Community power: Meet the small but mighty team and the passionate contributors who keep NetHunter growing.
• Beyond hacking: Learn about HealingHackers, a unique initiative blending personal growth with cybersecurity skills.
• Exclusive news: I’ll be joining @yesimxev as the first guest on his upcoming NetHunter Live Podcast—mark your calendars for November 14, 11 AM ET!

Whether you’re a seasoned pentester, a curious hacker, or just someone who loves tech innovation, this interview will give you a rare glimpse into the mindset behind one of the most exciting projects in the cybersecurity world.

When did your NetHunter journey begin?

It was about 8 years ago, when I was doing script kiddie activities on my Kali laptop. It was around the times when Mr. Robot was on, parallel to the Watchdogs game where the “profiler” was a hacker phone. That gave me a hint on my timeline. I was wondering – how cool would this be in real life? After that, I realized that a bookmark in Firefox ESR on default Kali install says NetHunter. Pretty interesting name, what’s that? The door was unlocked. I quickly got my first NetHunter ever: the OnePlus One. The project seemed dead on GitHub, but I started solving issues, adding small patches, then even built full images which I added to my own repo. Soon enough, my first feature commit to the project was adding Hungarian language to HID/Ducky attacks. Then @Re4sonKernel picked up the project and formed the core dev group, we really miss him from the team.

Are you a developer by trade?

I studied as an IT Technician in secondary school, and was slightly interested in developing simple webpages, little scripts, etc. Hacking/bypassing things was always part of my life though. That was only the Windows based life, using the terminal was too scary 😁.

Which other early NetHunter devices left a lasting impression on you and why?

So, my first was OnePlus One. I still miss the stone feeling on the back. Somewhat natural to touch. I still have it as well as my S6 edge which was the first NetHunter I had with IR blaster. Although not tied directly to NetHunter, using IR to control any TVs, Air Conditioners, Radios gave me the feeling of what I got from Watchdogs.

How did your device collection evolve over time?

There were many after the above two. I must mention that I wanted to bring back Nokia’s forgotten strength and bought a Nokia 3.1 and 6.1, so they became part of the NetHunter family. I gave support for not owned devices too, so I ported kernels randomly when I had someone to test it. I still want to do that, so I’ll potentially do some more in the future. Then I leaned towards Xiaomi, because some of their models still used IR, the Mi A3 and Mi 9 Lite. Then the TicWatch Pro idea came in from nowhere which was followed by the TicWatch Pro 3. Now you can capture a WPA2 handshake from your wrist while still having a decent smartwatch with its functions.

If someone wants to try NetHunter today, which device would you recommend?

It’s a difficult task, since there’s no current device that features all in one, including my beloved IR and internal wireless injection feature. I’m on the lower budget side since many people including me, can’t afford high-end devices. There are preferences other than performance, like screen size, battery life etc. Without injection support: The Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite. It has a decent performance, I used it for almost 2 years and pwned several OffSec PG, and THM machines including Active Directory. It didn’t even drop frames on me. In addition to having all the NetHunter features, it has a perfect pocket size screen, has IR and NFC that can be used to clone MIFARE Classic cards. With injection: The Samsung Galaxy S10. Finally, a device that supports injection after more than a decade. In the meantime, @v0lk3n has just made NetHunter support on the latest LineageOS 23 for the S10. Thanks to his sources, I had a chance to create port for Samsung Galaxy S10e and S10 5G. Both are confirmed to support wireless injection (see Figure 5.).

What’s next for NetHunter hardware? Any exciting plans?

I’m planning one that will support wireless injection once again, but I couldn’t confirm yet so better not to share at this point. I also have plans for Android Auto support, and a NetHunter AR Glass, which is again, might not be “useful” but could be really cool. TBA soon on my X.

Are there any new features you’d love to build?

There’s a weird one, potentially useful for OSINT or Social Engineering, however I haven’t continued the research on that since I discovered it. It’s a face recognition type of thing using the phone’s camera that would pull up social media details for recognized people. Although that might be stealthier with the mentioned AR glasses.

How big is the team behind NetHunter?

There’s g0tmi1k from Kali side who is responsible for releases, store, and did a complete revise on the build scripts recently. Then there’s a few core people that contribute continuously other than me, they are @kimocoder, @v0lk3n, and there’s a smaller group that includes @martindatoss, @MrR0b0X and many community members who pushes patches from time to time. Well Martin also added the new Terminal, so in the long term, the amount of time people can contribute varies. Some people like cyberknight777 has also made large groups and help others there. I’m amazed how big NetHunter grew in the past years and how people support each other, no matter where they came from.

Recently you started with NetHunter podcast series, what can listeners expect?

I always thought NetHunter deserves more spotlight, and I wanted to speak about it with Elwood. But he is out if OffSec after I already started arranging to talk about NH in the Offsec Office Hour, so I thought I could not just talk about it but showcase worldwide on OffSec live. After the pilot episode, I thought it’s better to have a guest after each showcase, so that would make the episodes complete. Since you are the Mobile Hacker, you are the perfect first guest!

You also created HealingHackers project – what is it and what’s the story behind it?

For me, becoming better at the OSCP didn’t just mean getting experience in pentesting. In my case, I had to be a better person in life. A better husband, dad and a ‘life game player’ in general. This allowed me to become disconnected from everyday stress, addictions like smoking, news, food, or even simple behaviors. Although I haven’t fully reached my goal, now I see clearly what’s my intention and path is. Some things need years. So, I thought it was worth sharing my brief experiences. The events between your life story’s timelines (eg. career, hobby, relationship, etc)  mirror each other, so if you are good inside yourself, that projects to the outside world. Hence, I created healinghackers.org with a Telegram and Discord group so if anyone is stuck on his hacker journey or life in general, we are there to listen, give free advice and support to show you how to pwn your own reality and be your better h self. Feel free to join!

Upcoming podcast

If you enjoyed this interview and want more, here’s something exciting. I’ll be the first guest on yesimxev’s upcoming NetHunter Live Podcast on November 14 at 11 AM ET.

Join us for an in-depth discussion about hacking, NetHunter, malware, mobile security and more.