Survey and Benchmark of Block Ciphers for Wireless Sensor Networks

Cryptographic algorithms play an important role in the security architecture of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Choosing the most storage- and energy-efficient block cipher is essential, due to the facts that these networks are meant to operate without human intervention for a long period of time with little energy supply, and that available storage is scarce on these sensor nodes. However, to our knowledge, no systematic work has been done in this area so far.We construct an evaluation framework in which we first identify the candidates of block ciphers suitable for WSNs, based on existing literature and authoritative recommendations. For evaluating and assessing these candidates, we not only consider the security properties but also the storage- and energy-efficiency of the candidates. Finally, based on the evaluation results, we select the most suitable ciphers for WSNs, namely Skipjack, MISTY1, and Rijndael, depending on the combination of available memory and required security (energy efficiency being implicit). In terms of operation mode, we recommend Output Feedback Mode for pairwise links but Cipher Block Chaining for group communications

Benchmarking Block Ciphers for Wireless Sensor Networks

Choosing the most storage- and energy-efficient block cipher specifically for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is not as straightforward as it seems. To our knowledge so far, there is no systematic evaluation framework for the purpose. We have identified the candidates of block ciphers suitable for WSNs based on existing literature. For evaluating and assessing these candidates, we have devised a systematic framework that not only considers the security properties but also the storage- and energy-efficency of the candidates. Finally, based on the evaluation results, we have selected the suitable ciphers for WSNs, namely Rijndael for high security and energy efficiency requirements; and MISTY1 for good storage and energy efficiency

FPGA Implementation of RC6 algorithm for IPSec protocol

With today's great demand for secure communications systems, there is a growing demand for real-time implementation of cryptographic algorithms. In this thesis we present a hardware implementation of the RC6 algorithm using VHDL Hardware Description Language. And the goal of the thesis was to implement a subset of the IPSec protocol using a Microcontroller and an FPGA. IPSEC is a framework for security that operates at the Network Layer by extending the IP packet header. IPSec protocol is to guarantee the security of data while traveling through the network. The motivation was to enable network application and cryptography to assembly and VHDL languages and to develop a prototype of their system. In this thesis many different sub-systems had to communicate with each other to achieve the final product: the PC and the Microcontroller through a serial connection, the Microcontroller and the FPGA through a bidirectional bus, and the Microcontroller and a terminal using a serial connection. Data was to be encrypted and decrypted using an RC6 algorithm including key scheduling application. The crypto-coprocessor (to implement RC6 algorithms) was implemented within an FPGA and connected to the Microcontroller bus

Guaranteeing the diversity of number generators

A major problem in using iterative number generators of the form x_i=f(x_{i-1}) is that they can enter unexpectedly short cycles. This is hard to analyze when the generator is designed, hard to detect in real time when the generator is used, and can have devastating cryptanalytic implications. In this paper we define a measure of security, called_sequence_diversity_, which generalizes the notion of cycle-length for non-iterative generators. We then introduce the class of counter assisted generators, and show how to turn any iterative generator (even a bad one designed or seeded by an adversary) into a counter assisted generator with a provably high diversity, without reducing the quality of generators which are already cryptographically strong.Comment: Small update

Optimization of Message Encryption for Real-Time Applications in Embedded Systems

Today, security can no longer be treated as a secondary issue in embedded and cyber-physical systems. Therefore, one of the main challenges in these domains is the design of secure embedded systems under stringent resource constraints and real-time requirements. However, there exists an inherent trade-off between the security protection provided and the amount of resources allocated for this purpose. That is, the more the amount of resources used for security, the higher the security, but the fewer the number of applications which can be run on the platform and meet their timing requirements. This trade-off is of high importance since embedded systems are often highly resource constrained. In this paper, we propose an efficient solution to maximize confidentiality, while also guaranteeing the timing requirements of real-time applications on shared platforms