How to Install IMP on Kali Linux

This tutorial will guide you through the steps to install IMP, an email web client developed by Horde, on Kali Linux.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure that you have:

  • Kali Linux installed on your system
  • Root privileges
  • An internet connection

Step 1: Install Apache web server

IMP requires an Apache web server to function. To install Apache on Kali Linux, open a terminal and type the following command:

sudo apt install apache2

This will install the Apache web server and also start the service.

Step 2: Install PHP and its extensions

IMP is written in PHP, so we need to install PHP along with a couple of extensions. To do so, type the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt install php php-curl php-intl php-pear php-imagick php-xml php-mbstring

This command will install PHP and the required extensions for IMP.

Step 3: Download and extract IMP

IMP can be downloaded from the official website: https://www.horde.org/apps/imp/. Once downloaded, extract the files to the /var/www/html directory using the following command:

sudo tar -xzf imp-X.Y.tar.gz -C /var/www/html/

Where X.Y is the version number of the downloaded file.

Step 4: Configure IMP

IMP needs to be configured before it can be used. Open the /var/www/html/imp/config/conf.php file using a text editor:

sudo nano /var/www/html/imp/config/conf.php

Update the following lines in the file to match your desired configuration:

$conf['storage']['driver'] = 'imap';         // The backend email storage driver
$conf['imap']['hostspec'] = 'localhost';    // The IMAP server hostname or IP address
$conf['imap']['port'] = 143;                // The IMAP server port
$conf['auth']['params']['username'] = '%u'; // The authentication username

Save and close the file.

Step 5: Allow Apache through the firewall

Kali Linux comes with a firewall called UFW. Allow Apache traffic through the firewall using the following command:

sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'

Step 6: Restart Apache

To apply all the changes, we need to restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 7: Access IMP

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost/imp/. You should see the IMP login page. Enter your email credentials and start using IMP.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and configured IMP on Kali Linux.