Remote-Exploit.org has released the beta of Backtrack 3. As many of you will know, Backtrack is a Linux distribution focused specifically on penetration testing and security auditing. Over 300 tools are included, making Backtrack the distribution of choice for security professionals and network engineers worldwide. I find Backtrack makes a great general-use LiveCD. There are now two versions available for download, both a 700MB ISO and a 1GB USB archive. I’ve heard rumours that a fully maintained VMware Virtual Appliance may appear with the final release. Previously, creating a bootable USB stick was a bit of a pain and required using the SLAX creator application. Now you simply need to copy the files to a clean USB stick and run a small script which installs the boot loader.

Hardware support looks to be good with most wireless drivers already patched for wireless injection. I couldn’t see aircrack-ptw included in the wireless toolset, but there’s still time for it to make the final release.

This release of Backtrack has been aligned to penetrations testing methodologies and frameworks (ISSAF & OSSTMM), which should make professional users’ lives a little easier.

Download your copy of the Backtrack 3 Beta here.