ENHANCING SECURITY IN IOT DEVICES: A LIGHTWEIGHT HYBRID CRYPTOGRAPHIC SYSTEM (LCS) APPROACH.

The escalating connectivity of devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) era necessitates robust security measures while accommodating resource constraints. Lightweight cryptography addresses this need, focusing on algorithm development for devices with limited resources. This research proposes the Lightweight Crypto System (LCS) as a hybrid cryptosystem, integrating the Lightweight Symmetric Algorithm (LSA) and the Lightweight Hash Algorithm (LHA). LSA is a modified AES-128 variant, enhancing data confidentiality, while LHA, derived from SHA-256, verifies data integrity. The study evaluates the proposed LCS on criteria such as execution time, memory usage, avalanche effect, collision resistance, and entropy, emphasizing the optimal balance between performance and security achieved by LSA and LHA. The findings position LCS as a compelling solution for securing IoT devices without compromising on stringent security requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]