IDEA - Evaluation of Modern Cryptographic Techniques For Crypto-Processors

Abstract

In the digital age, data security is a major concern as there is a rapid increase in the Internet and data-driven systems. IDEA is a symmetric-key block cypher that uses 128 bits of key to encrypt 64-bit blocks of data using modular addition, modular multiplication, and exclusive OR (XOR). IDEA has good resistance to cryptanalytic attacks especially differential and linear cryptanalysis because of its mathematical structure.

Modern encryption algorithms like the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) have superseded the use of IDEA in most applications, but it might still be relevant in embedded and resource constrained systems. But, with the new found need for low latency encryption, energy saving, and hardware compatibility, these classical cryptographic algorithms need to be reassessed with modern tools and benchmarks.

In this work, the functionality and performance of the IDEA algorithm on modern cryptographic processors is examined. It is analyzed, using simulation-based experiments, in terms of its memory footprint, computational efficiency, energy consumption and resistance to the cryptanalytic attacks selected. The aim of the study is to find out whether IDEA is still a viable encryption algorithm in today's secure-processing environment and to investigate security–performance trade-offs in today's data-processing applications. The results provide important clues to the ongoing validity of IDEA and to closing the design/implement gap.