PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF LIGHTWEIGHT CRYPTOGRAPHY ALGORITHMS ON CONSTRAINED 8-BIT DEVICES

Abstract

Various encryption algorithms can be implemented on constrained devices; however, not all of them are efficient. Employing inefficient security algorithms may lead to insufficient protection levels for information systems and disrupt their functionality due to lack of necessary resources. Therefore, developing new data protection models for transmitting information through open communication channels using constrained devices is a crucial task for ensuring information system security. This paper outlines the requirements for lightweight cryptography algorithms and establishes performance measurement metrics. The article analyzes, in terms of performance and efficiency on class 0 devices with 8-bit processors, modern lightweight encryption algorithms. According to the conducted analysis, research, and experiments, it has been found that the HIGHT algorithm demonstrates the highest encryption speed while consuming the most RAM among the tested algorithms. The XTEA algorithm has average performance metrics across all indicators and is generally balanced between encryption speed and required computational resources for operation. The NIST Isap finalist and the anticipated standardization winner, Ascon, show low efficiency on 8-bit constrained class 0 devices because they were developed targeting 64-bit processors. On the other hand, PRESENT is not efficient due to significant resource usage and low encryption speed.