Official transaction-security explainer
NOVA combines pre-approval transaction and recipient checks, a risk-and-balance simulation preview for supported Solana WalletConnect requests, and Safari domain screening. These layers reduce blind signing; they do not make every transaction safe.
Three layers
For outgoing actions, NOVA builds a scan payload from the signing wallet, target, chain, and action type. A malicious result blocks preparation. Supported recipient checks fail closed when live verification is unavailable, and recent malicious transfer targets remain blocked in a 24-hour on-device cache.
For supported generic Solana signing requests, NOVA submits each serialized message for simulation, combines the highest reported risk across a bundle, and shows detected SOL and token balance changes. If the simulation cannot run, the review says it is unavailable.
NOVA's Safari security scanner accepts HTTPS origins, blocks local look-alike patterns, and requests both dApp-risk and phishing verdicts. It returns safe, blocked, or unavailable; unavailable must not be interpreted as verified safe.
Source contract
| Check | Current behavior | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction scan | A malicious verdict raises an error before a transfer confirmation is prepared. | Depends on the scan payload and provider verdict; a non-malicious result is not a guarantee. |
| Recipient reputation | Known malicious transfer recipients are blocked and cached for 24 hours. Supported-chain verification failures block the recipient check. | Reputation can lag new threats and cannot prove control or intent behind an address. |
| WalletConnect simulation | Combines reported risk, errors, and balance changes across supported Solana transaction bundles for the approval screen. | Simulation unavailable is displayed, not converted into a fabricated safe result. Not every route receives this preview. |
| Safari domain scan | Blocks invalid non-HTTPS origins, selected look-alike patterns, and remote malicious/phishing verdicts. | Provider downtime returns unavailable. Domain safety does not prove transaction safety. |
| User approval | The review remains a distinct step before local signing and broadcast. | A user can still misunderstand a technically accurate preview; verify the requested action independently. |
Reading the review
Confirm the domain or app is the one you intended to use and that the requested method matches the action you initiated.
Check the active signing wallet, destination, and whether the address is new. A familiar label is not cryptographic proof.
Review every shown SOL and token decrease or increase. Unexpected authority, delegation, burn, or transfer behavior is a stop signal.
Check requested amount, minimum received, route, network fee, and any sponsorship or service charge before approving.
Pause when simulation or security verification is unavailable. Retry later or validate through an independent trusted source.
A hardware wallet can isolate keys, but the device still needs a human to verify what it is authorizing. Never blind-sign because a site is urgent.
Evidence and corrections
This page was derived from the current NOVA 4.2.0 transfer validator, recipient-safety service, WalletConnect simulation state, scan service, and Safari domain scanner. Source inspection supports intended current behavior; it is not a cryptographic audit, provider-uptime guarantee, simulator run, physical-device signing test, or proof that every malicious transaction will be detected.
This page applies only to NOVA - Solana Wallet, App Store ID 6753857720, bundle ID com.novawallet.ios, published by 404 ENTERPRISES, LLC—not the separate product at docs.novawallet.io.
Send factual corrections to hi@nshield.org. Never include a recovery phrase, private key, PIN, or raw signing payload.