An improved chacha algorithm for securing data on IoT devices

Abstract

AbstractIn recent years, revolution of development was exceedingly quick in the Internet. Nevertheless, instead of only linking personal computers, mobiles and wearable equipment's, Internet growths from a web binding to true world physical substances that is indicated to novel connotation, which is labeled as Internet of Things (IoT). This concept is utilized in many scopes like education, health care, agriculture and commerce. IoT devices are presented with batteries to have independence from electric current; consequently, their working time is specified by the total time of the power of these batteries. In many IoT applications, data of IoT devices are extremely critical and should be encrypted. Current encryption approaches are created with a high complexity of an arithmetical process to provide a high level of security. However, these arithmetical processes lead to troubles concerning the efficiency and power consumption. ChaCha cipher is one of these approaches, which recently attracted attention due to its deployment in several applications by Google. In the present study, a new stream cipher procedure is proposed (called Super ChaCha), which performs low duty cycles for securing data on IoT devices. The proposed algorithm represents an improved revision to the standard ChaCha algorithm by increasing resistance to cryptanalysis. The modification focuses on rotation procedure which has been changed from a fixed constant to a variable constant based on random value. Also, the inputs of the cipher are changing in the columns form followed by diagonals form to zigzag form and then by alternate form to provide improved diffusion in comparison with the standard ChaCha. Results regarding the security illustrate that Super ChaCha needs 2512 probable keys to break by brute-force attack. Furthermore, the randomness of Super ChaCha successfully passed the five benchmark and NIST test.