Enhancement of Tiny Encryption Algorithm for Resource-Constrained WSNs Using Four Connected Additive Fibonacci Generators

Abstract

The usage of wireless sensor networks (WSN) is widespread in industries where data security is crucial. Due to the energy and computational limits of WSN, the cryptographic protocols designed for it must be as computationally cheap as feasible. The components of these protocols, such as the random number generator, are subject to the same constraints. For such resource-constrained devices, several lightweight encryption techniques have been created. One of the most efficient lightweight ciphers is Tiny Encryption Algorithm (TEA). TEA uses a few lines of source code that are based on Feistel. It is however susceptible to attacks utilizing equivalent and related key attacks. In order to address TEA’s key vulnerabilities, a modification is suggested in this paper that focuses on key creation. Four connected Additive Fibonacci Generators (AFGs) make up the structure, which addresses the security vulnerability by using a unique key each round. Performance evaluation was assessed using three statistical tests: avalanche effect, randomness analysis, and completeness testing. Through experimental results, ATEA outperforms TEA by an average of 51.68 % to 47.51 % for the avalanche effect, and 51.95 % to 48.36 % for the completeness test, and satisfies all the NIST requirements. Results of advanced security measurements indicate that, ATEA can be used to secure WSN devices.