WiFi Analysis¶
NOVA scans nearby wireless access points using nmcli and produces a security assessment for each network.
How it works¶
NOVA invokes:
The output is parsed, sanitised (control characters stripped, SSID/BSSID length-limited), and enriched with:
- Frequency band derived from the frequency field (2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz)
- Security risk analysis based on the encryption type
- Security score (0–100)
Linux only
WiFi scanning requires nmcli (NetworkManager). macOS support is planned for a future release.
Displayed fields¶
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| SSID | Network name (truncated to 32 characters) |
| BSSID | Access point MAC address |
| Signal | Signal strength as percentage (derived from nmcli's 0–100 value) |
| Band | 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz |
| Security | Encryption type reported by nmcli (WPA2, WPA3, WEP, -- for open) |
| Score | Security score 0–100 (higher = more secure) |
Search and filter¶
Live search — /¶
Press / to enter search mode. Type any part of an SSID or BSSID.
Results filter in real time. Press Enter to lock in the filter or Esc to cancel.
Security filter — f¶
Press f to cycle through security type filters:
| State | Shows |
|---|---|
| (none) | All networks |
open |
Networks with no encryption |
wpa2 |
WPA2-secured networks |
wpa3 |
WPA3-secured networks |
Clear filters — c¶
Press c to clear both the search query and the security filter.
Security findings¶
| Condition | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open network (no encryption) | Critical | All traffic is visible to anyone within range |
| WEP encryption | Critical | WEP is cryptographically broken and trivially crackable |
| WPA (TKIP) | High | WPA-TKIP is deprecated; vulnerable to several attacks |
| WPA2 | Low / None | Generally secure; score depends on other factors |
| WPA3 | None | Current best-practice encryption |
Scoring¶
The WiFi security score starts at 100 and deductions are applied based on findings:
| Finding | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Open network | −60 |
| WEP | −55 |
| WPA (TKIP) | −30 |
| Hidden SSID concerns | −5 |
A score of 0–30 is Critical, 31–60 is High/Medium, 61–80 is Low, 81–100 is healthy.