FEATHER: A Proposed Lightweight Protocol for Mobile Cloud Computing Security

Abstract

Ensuring security for lightweight cryptosystems in mobile cloud computing is challenging. Encryption speed and battery consumption must be maintained while securing mobile devices, the server, and the communication channel. This study proposes a lightweight security protocol called FEATHER which implements MICKEY 2.0 to generate keystream in the cloud server and to perform mobile device decryption and encryption. FEATHER can be used to implement secure parameters and lightweight mechanisms for communication among mobile devices and between them and a cloud server. FEATHER is faster than the existing CLOAK protocol and consumes less battery power. FEATHER also allows more mobile devices to communicate at the same time during very short time periods, maintain security for more applications with minimum computation ability. FEATHER meets mobile cloud computing requirements of speed, identity, and confidentiality assurances, compatibility with mobile devices, and effective communication between cloud servers and mobile devices using an unsafe communication channel.