Securing wireless sensor networks with novel hybrid lightweight cryptographic protocols

Abstract

WSN are essential in the Internet of Things (IoT) framework as they enable the gathering and transmission of data in different fields. The limited resources of sensor nodes in these networks require security protocols that are lightweight, striking a balance between data protection and efficiency. This research paper introduces a new hybrid cryptographic protocol called AES-128-CCM + Diffie-Hellman (ACDH), which aims to tackle the security issues encountered by WSN. Here present thorough assessment of the ACDH protocol, with a specific emphasis on critical factors including Security Strength, Energy Efficiency and Communication Overhead. The comparative study examines the ACDH protocol in relation to three well-established lightweight cryptographic protocols like Lightweight IPSec, BLAKE2, and Simon. We analyze and highlight the differences between these protocols. These protocols function as standards for evaluating the efficiency of ACDH in a practical WSN setting. The evaluation unequivocally showcases the supremacy of the proposed ACDH model across various crucial aspects.  ACDH demonstrates exceptional Security Strength, guaranteeing strong resilience against established cryptographic attacks and providing a high degree of data safeguarding. It demonstrates exceptional Energy Efficiency, enabling sensor nodes to preserve energy resources while upholding a high standard of security ACDH reduces Resource Utilization, optimizing the utilization of memory and processing power. The protocol’s Communication Overhead is significantly minimal, guaranteeing the most efficient utilization of restricted bandwidth.  The ACDH hybrid model consistently surpasses its counterparts in performance, making it the optimal selection for securing WSNs while adhering to the resource limitations of sensor nodes. The results of our research highlight the capability of ACDH as an innovative solution for developing lightweight cryptographic protocols that can improve the security and efficiency of Wireless Sensor Networks in the growing IoT environment.