Abstract -The amount of data generated by connected devices have increased dramatically since the beginning of the century with the prediction that until the end of the decade the number of connected devices will increase to over 50 billion. This huge increase of network data traffic and the heterogeneity of modern and future networks lead to increased demand for lightweight encryption algorithms. These algorithms must be able to cope with the large increase of data traffic and the ever-growing increase in computational capabilities. This means that any cryptographic algorithm that hopes to meet these demands must increase the computational complexity while maintaining computational cost. Striving to meet those requirements might seem as causa perduta right from the start. Indeed to meet such high standards a shift in paradigm is required. We should not only strive to create and use new algorithms, but also should optimize the use of existing algorithms.
This thesis proposes a new algorithm, Crypto Roulette, which builds on the achievements of modern symmetric cryptography systems in order to create a strong and lightweight solution. The proposed algorithm was inspired by frequency hopping communication systems. These systems switch randomly between different carrier frequencies in order to prevent unwanted eavesdropping. The proposed solution using a similar concept makes use of different symmetric cryptographic algorithms. The proposed solution is a combination of algorithms that provide high robustness and security. The solution increases security while marginally increasing the amount of computational resources needed for encryption and decryption. The envisioned system uses either two pairs of synchronized pseudorandom number generators or a time variable based on the transmission time to achieve synchronization between the communicating parties. The cryptographic strength of the proposed system depends on two factors: the number of the undelaying symmetric cryptographic algorithms and the type of keying option used.
Based on the simulation results, the Crypto Roulette demonstrates significant increase in performance. The comparison and results have also shown that the number of undelaying algorithms does not affect the computational cost of the system. This means that the Cryptographic Roulette algorithm can easily be scaled to suite a wide range of requirements.