VirtualBox Networking Issue: NAT and Host-Only Adapter Conflict in Kali VM

[Nikhil-Emmanuel]

VirtualBox Networking Issue: NAT and Host-Only Adapter Conflict in Kali VM

Description

When running Kali Linux in VirtualBox, I have configured two network adapters:

• Adapter 1: NAT (provides internet access)
• Adapter 2: Host-Only

Problem:
When both adapters are enabled, only the Host-Only adapter shows an inet IP address and works as expected. The NAT adapter does not show an inet IP and the VM cannot access the internet. If I disable the Host-Only adapter, then the VM can access the internet via the NAT adapter without issue.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create/launch a Kali Linux VM in VirtualBox.
2. Enable two adapters:
   • Adapter 1: NAT
   • Adapter 2: Host-Only
3. Start the VM and check network configuration inside Kali (ip a or ifconfig).
4. Attempt to access any external websites or run ping 8.8.8.8.

Expected Behavior

Both adapters should work together:

• Host-Only for host communication.
• NAT for internet access.

Actual Behavior

• Host-Only adapter works (shows IP).
• NAT adapter does not show inet IP and internet is inaccessible.
• Disabling Host-Only restores NAT internet access.