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Using_USB_Adapter_in_VirtualBox.md

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Using a USB WiFi Adapter with VirtualBox (VB)

Updated: 2025-02-07

Credit: Much of the information below is borrowed from Josh, an Amazon customer that bought a Panda USB WiFi adapter that uses an mt7612u chipset. This guide should apply broadly to the task of making a USB WiFi adapter work with VirtualBox (VB).

This guide is intended for those who are facing issues when using an adapter with Kali as it is common for beginning Kali users to have problems if running in VB. However, the priciples in this guide should work for most Linux distros that are running in VB.

USB WiFi adapters are not set up automatically in VB or in any virtual machine that I am aware of. If you are running Kali in VirtualBox from a Windows or Linux host and are experiencing problems, these are steps that should lead to a good setup:

  1. Make sure you have VirtualBox and Extension Pack installed.

Note: tested with VB 7.x.

  1. Install the USB WiFi adapter driver in Kali if necessary.

Mediatek based adapters will not require this step. Realtek WiFi 5 USB WiFi adapters adapters will not require this step if using kernel 6.14 or later, with the exception of adapters based on the rtl8814au chip (the in-kernel driver for this chip should go into kernel 6.15).

  1. Configure USB settings:

  • Plug the adapter into your host system.

  • In Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager, select your VM.

  • Select Settings > USB.

  • Check "Enable USB Controller."

  • Select "USB 3.0 (xHCI) Controller" from the list, if your adapter is a USB3 capable adapter. If not a USB 3 capable adapter, select the appropriate USB Controller.

  • Under "USB Device Filters," add a new USB filter and choose your adapter (if your adapter uses a Mediatek chip, it should appear as something like "MediaTek Inc. Wireless").

  • Click OK to apply the changes.

  1. Verify the adapter connection:

  • Start Kali and run "ip addr" from the terminal.

  • You should see the adapter listed as "wlan0." Keep in mind that your adapter may be assigned a different number than 0 or, if you have turned on predictable network interface names, then your wireless interface name may be some thing like "wlx0035bc05649".

Further troubleshooting (if necessary):

Issue: If you are using Windows as the host and the adapter still doesn't appear, follow these additional steps:

  • Shutdown Kali and press Windows + E to open File Explorer.

  • Press the ALT + D shortcut and go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers.

  • Use the Ctrl + F shortcut to search for "vbox.sys."

  • If you find the five "vbox.sys" drivers with dates older than the current year, uninstall VirtualBox. Note that updating the VirtualBox doesn't always update these drivers. Your configured VMs should remain intact.

  • After uninstalling, delete the old "vbox.sys" drivers from the mentioned directory.

  • Go to Step 1: Install VirtualBox and the Extension Pack and then continue with the additional steps.

  • Launch Kali, and the adapter should now function correctly.

Issue: VM is unable to see host usb ports.

On Linux user must be a member of the vboxusers group.

To determine if you are a member of the vboxusers group

$ group username

Replace username with your username.

To add your username to the vboxusers group:

$ sudo usermod -aG vboxusers username

Replace username with your username.

Shutdown VM and reboot host system.

You should now be able to configure a new USB filter as per Step 3 above.

If you have ideas to improve this guide, please post in Issues.