Performance Analysis of the Speck Cryptography Algorithm

Abstract

Encryption algorithms such as the block cipher techniques were built in particular to guarantee security on limited systems, whose design clarity is vital. The multiplicity of the planned use cases, however, needs flexibility in execution. In the building of cryptosystems, simplicity, security, and flexibility are continuous but incompatible aims. The requirement for a lightweight block cipher algorithm that supports a broad range of systems, architectures, and block/key sizes efficiently has been developing recently. In 2013, the National Security Agency (NSA) recommended the block ciphers SIMON and SPECK. Different block sizes, including 16, 32, and 64 bits, and key sizes, such as 64, 96, and 128 bits, are supported by SIMON and SPECK. In this research, we evaluate the performance of lightweight SPECK cryptographic block ciphers utilizing multiple criteria such as execution time, throughput, and energy usage. We utilize two distinct Intel CPUs to assess the Speck Cryptography technique. Three keys of sizes 128, 192, and 256 are employed in this article to compare the performance criteria. The obtained results over two different Intel processors show a linear and non-linear relationship to the key size. In other words, the increase in key length increases the execution time and energy consumption, while throughput results decrease. Moreover, the NIST statistical randomness test is implemented for all speck versions to compare them in term of the security level.