Raspberry Pi Pico W: Wi-Fi Intrusion Detection System (WIDS)

A lightweight, hardware-based Wi-Fi Intrusion Detection System (WIDS) designed for the Raspberry Pi Pico W. This system monitors the local RF environment to detect common wireless attacks, serving as a real-time security dashboard accessible via any web browser.

📺 Project Demo

Click the image below to watch the full project walkthrough and live demonstration:

📑 Video Chapters

• 0:00 - Project Concept & Architecture
• 0:50 - Hardware Requirements
• 1:30 - Wireless Attack Theory (Evil Twin & Flooding)
• 2:15 - MicroPython Implementation & Logic
• 3:40 - Setting up the Web Dashboard
• 4:30 - Live Security Alert Demo

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🚀 Key Features

• Evil Twin Detection: Identifies multiple Access Points (APs) broadcasting the same SSID, a common sign of phishing attacks.
• RSSI Anomaly Tracking: Detects significant signal strength spikes that may indicate a localized "Man-in-the-Middle" attempt.
• Channel Flooding Analysis: Monitors RF congestion; alerts if more than 6 networks occupy a single channel, signaling potential denial-of-service (DoS) or interference.
• Real-Time Dashboard: A mobile-responsive, dark-themed HTML/JavaScript dashboard served directly from the Pico W.
• Automated Background Scanning: Performs environment audits every 5 seconds without interrupting the web server.

🛠️ System Architecture

1. Hardware Detection (MicroPython)

The Pico W acts as the "sensor node," using the network.WLAN module to perform active environment scans. It maintains a baseline of known networks to compare against future fluctuations.

2. Web Server (Socket Logic)

A lightweight Python socket server handles three primary routes:

• /: Serves the primary HTML/CSS/JS dashboard.
• /scan: Provides a JSON output of current channel activity.
• /alerts: Delivers a JSON feed of detected security events.

📥 Installation & Setup

1. Hardware Preparation

• Use a Raspberry Pi Pico W.
• Power it via Micro-USB or an external battery pack.

2. Software Setup

1. Open the src/main.py file.
2. Update the WIFI_SSID and WIFI_PASS variables to match your local network.
3. Use a tool like Thonny to flash the code onto your Pico W.
4. Once running, the Pico W will print its IP address to the serial console (e.g., http://192.168.1.50).

3. Access the Dashboard

1. Connect a device (phone or laptop) to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Navigate to the IP address printed in the console.
3. Watch the "Channel Activity" and "Alerts" panels for live updates.

🔐 Cybersecurity Principles Demonstrated

• RF Awareness: Understanding how wireless frames can be spoofed or manipulated.
• Signature-Based Detection: Using pre-defined patterns (like SSID duplication) to flag malicious activity.
• Visual Telemetry: Converting raw signal data into actionable human-readable security alerts.

📜 License

This project is dedicated to the public domain under The Unlicense. You are free to copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose.

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Developed by Rai Bahadur Singh.