Lightweight Cryptographic Techniques

Abstract : The objective of this project was to develop new cryptographic techniques, and to modify the important existing ones, for applications to encryption and authentication in energy-constrained sensors with limited memory and computational capability. The goal was to minimize power consumption in order to maximize the lifetime of the sensor operation and the amount of useful processing that can be carried out within the lifetime. For handling low power stream cipher on small handheld devices, Software Based Stream Ciphers were implemented and compared with other software based encryption algorithms. A new spread signal cryptographic technique has been developed that promises significant additional security with no new bandwidth or power overhead. New design methodologies have been developed for power conscious systems with power/security tradeoffs. The impact of imaging sensors on benchmark and operational scenarios related to target tracking in a wireless sensor network has been investigated in an added task. Leveraging on the state-of-the-art in image-based tracking, new algorithms and novel methods have been discovered that enhance the capability of existing imaging technologies.