How to Set Up Zphisher for Cybersecurity Education Using Windows, WSL and Debian
Want to learn how phishing simulations work without setting up a separate Kali Linux computer? You can create an isolated cybersecurity learning environment on Windows using PowerShell, WSL, Debian and Zphisher.
In this guide, we will start directly from Windows PowerShell, install WSL and Debian, prepare the Linux environment, download Zphisher from GitHub and launch it for educational and security-awareness testing.
Important: This guide stops at launching the tool. Do not expose a credential-harvesting page to the Internet or use it to collect real usernames, passwords or other people's information.
.png "How to Set Up Zphisher on Windows Using WSL")
- What Is Zphisher?
- What We Are Going to Build
- Requirements
- Step 1 — Open PowerShell as Administrator
- Step 2 — Install WSL
- Step 3 — Install Debian
- Step 4 — Prepare Debian
- Step 5 — Download Zphisher
- Step 6 — Launch Zphisher
- How to Uninstall Everything
- Important Security Considerations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
What Is Zphisher?
Zphisher is an open-source security-testing tool designed around phishing simulation workflows. It provides a menu-driven environment that can be used to study how phishing pages and related testing infrastructure work.
For cybersecurity education, it is important to use such tools only in an authorized and isolated environment.
Windows PC
↓
PowerShell
↓
WSL
↓
Debian
↓
Zphisher
↓
Security Awareness Lab
What We Are Going to Build
Our setup will gradually create an isolated Linux environment inside Windows. The final environment will contain:
✓ Windows PowerShell
✓ Windows Subsystem for Linux
✓ Debian Linux
✓ Git
✓ Curl
✓ PHP
✓ Zphisher
The purpose of this setup is to understand the technology and practice security awareness in a controlled environment.
Requirements
Before starting, make sure you have a Windows computer with administrator access and an active Internet connection for downloading WSL, Debian and the required software.
| Requirement | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 or Windows 11 |
| Access | Administrator access |
| Internet | Required for installation and downloads |
| Terminal | PowerShell / Windows Terminal |
| Linux Environment | WSL with Debian |
Step 1 — Open PowerShell as Administrator
1 Open PowerShell
The first step is to open PowerShell with administrator privileges.
Press:
Win + X
Then select:
Terminal (Admin)
You can also search for PowerShell from the Windows Start menu, right-click it and select Run as administrator.
Step 2 — Install WSL
2 Install Windows Subsystem for Linux
WSL allows you to run a Linux distribution directly inside Windows without installing Linux as your primary operating system.
In the Administrator PowerShell window, run:
wsl --install
Windows may ask you to restart the computer after the installation. Restart Windows if prompted.
wsl --install -d Debianwsl --install -d Debian Each command must be entered separately.
After restarting Windows, open PowerShell as Administrator again.
Check the WSL installation with:
wsl --status
Step 3 — Install Debian
3 Install Debian
Now install Debian as the Linux distribution that will be used for the cybersecurity laboratory.
Run the following command in Administrator PowerShell:
wsl --install -d Debian
After installation, launch Debian with:
wsl -d Debian
The first launch may ask you to create a Linux username and password.
Windows ↓ PowerShell ↓ WSL ↓ Debian
Step 4 — Prepare Debian
4 Update Debian and Install Required Packages
Once you are inside the Debian terminal, update the package information:
sudo apt update
You can also upgrade the installed packages:
sudo apt upgrade -y
Now install Git, Curl and PHP:
sudo apt install git curl php -y
These packages provide the basic environment required for working with the repository and its local components.
sudo, enter the
Linux password you created when setting up Debian.
Step 5 — Download Zphisher
5 Clone the GitHub Repository
Now download the Zphisher repository using Git.
Run:
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/htr-tech/zphisher.git
After the download finishes, move into the project directory:
cd zphisher
You should see the files belonging to the repository.
Debian ↓ git clone ↓ zphisher ↓ Project Files
Step 6 — Launch Zphisher
6 Start the Tool
Once you are inside the zphisher directory, start the script with:
bash zphisher.sh
The script will start and display its menu in the Debian terminal.
Windows PowerShell
↓
WSL
↓
Debian
↓
Zphisher
↓
Menu
How to Uninstall Everything
Once you have finished your cybersecurity experiment, you may want to remove the software and Linux environment that you installed. The following cleanup steps let you remove the laboratory from your Windows computer.
Remove the Zphisher Files
If you only want to remove Zphisher while keeping Debian for other Linux projects, first leave the Zphisher directory:
cd ~
Then remove the cloned repository:
rm -rf ~/zphisher
Remove Git, Curl and PHP
If Git, Curl and PHP were installed only for this laboratory and you no longer need them, you can remove them from Debian:
sudo apt remove git curl php -y
Then remove packages that are no longer required:
sudo apt autoremove -y
Remove Debian Completely
If Debian was installed only for this laboratory and you want to delete the entire Debian environment, first close any running Debian sessions.
Open PowerShell as Administrator and check the installed WSL distributions:
wsl --list --verbose
You should see Debian in the list. To permanently remove the Debian distribution and everything stored inside it, run:
wsl --unregister Debian
wsl --unregister Debian permanently deletes the Debian
distribution, including its Linux files, installed packages, configurations
and user data. Make sure you do not need anything inside Debian before using
this command.
Remove WSL Components
If you installed WSL specifically for this laboratory and no longer want to use WSL for any other Linux distributions, you can also disable the Windows features associated with WSL.
Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
dism.exe /online /disable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /norestart
If you also want to disable the Virtual Machine Platform component used by many WSL 2 installations, run:
dism.exe /online /disable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /norestart
Restart Windows after completing the feature-removal process:
shutdown /r /t 0
Final Cleanup Check
After Windows restarts, you can check whether any WSL distributions remain:
wsl --list --verbose
If you removed Debian and disabled WSL, there should no longer be a Debian environment available.
Zphisher ↓ Remove repository ↓ Git / Curl / PHP ↓ Remove packages if unnecessary ↓ Debian ↓ wsl --unregister Debian ↓ WSL ↓ Disable Windows features ↓ Restart Windows
If you plan to use Linux or WSL again, you do not need to remove everything. Simply delete the Zphisher directory and keep Debian and WSL installed for future cybersecurity learning projects.
Important Security Considerations
Phishing tools can demonstrate how attackers attempt to deceive users. However, the same techniques can cause real harm when used against people or systems without authorization.
- Only test systems that you own or have explicit permission to test.
- Never collect real usernames or passwords during an educational exercise.
- Keep experiments inside an isolated laboratory whenever possible.
- Do not expose credential-harvesting pages to the public Internet.
- Do not use another person's social-media account for testing.
- Use dummy accounts and fictional credentials for security-awareness exercises.
- Do not reuse passwords from real accounts in a security experiment.
A safer phishing-awareness exercise is to demonstrate the appearance and workflow of a phishing attack using dummy data while measuring awareness rather than collecting actual credentials.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Kali Linux to use Zphisher?
No. This setup uses Windows Subsystem for Linux with Debian, so a separate Kali Linux installation is not required for this basic laboratory setup.
Can I start everything from PowerShell?
Yes. WSL and Debian can be installed and launched from PowerShell, after which the remaining Linux commands are executed inside the Debian terminal.
Why did my WSL command show an invalid argument?
One common cause is accidentally joining two commands together. For example,
wsl --install -d Debianwsl --install -d Debian is interpreted as
one command. Enter each command separately.
Can I remove only Zphisher?
Yes. If you want to keep Debian and WSL, simply remove the Zphisher repository
from your Debian home directory using rm -rf ~/zphisher.
How do I completely remove Debian?
From Administrator PowerShell, use
wsl --unregister Debian. This permanently deletes the Debian
environment and the files stored inside it.
Can I remove Git, Curl and PHP separately?
Yes. If they are no longer required by other software, they can be removed
from Debian with sudo apt remove git curl php -y, followed by
sudo apt autoremove -y.
Can I use real Instagram credentials for testing?
No. Use fictional credentials and a controlled test environment for educational exercises. Real credentials should never be collected by a training experiment.
What should I do after Zphisher launches?
You can inspect the menu and study how phishing simulations are structured. For a safe laboratory, keep the experiment local and avoid public exposure or real credential collection.
Conclusion
Setting up a cybersecurity laboratory does not require installing a separate Linux operating system alongside Windows. With PowerShell, WSL, Debian, Git and Zphisher, you can create a Linux-based testing environment directly on a Windows computer.
The six steps covered in this guide take you from a fresh Windows setup to launching Zphisher inside Debian:
✓ Open PowerShell as Administrator
✓ Install WSL
✓ Install Debian
✓ Prepare Debian
✓ Download Zphisher
✓ Launch Zphisher
✓ Clean up the laboratory when finished
Next step: Use the environment only for authorized cybersecurity education and security-awareness testing. Keep experiments isolated, use dummy data and never collect real credentials.
Note: WSL commands, Linux packages and third-party repositories can change over time. Always check the relevant official documentation and repository information before installing security software.