Securing the Edge: An Analysis of Lightweight Cryptography for Resource-Constrained Network Devices

Author(s)	Naresh Kalimuthu
Country	United States
Abstract	The security of the Internet of Things (IoT) depends not only on strong network protocols but also on the physical security of endpoint devices. While higher-level systems handle access policies, edge devices often with less than 10 KB of RAM need specialized cryptographic primitives to safeguard data from physical extraction and tampering. This paper examines the "Lightweight Cryptography (LWC) Triad": balancing algorithm size, vulnerability to physical attacks, and the high cost of countermeasures. It criticizes the industry's focus on raw gate counts, arguing that "mask-ability," the ease of defending a cipher against side-channel attacks, is a better metric. By comparing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) approved ASCON standard with the hardware-optimized GIFT-COFB, the paper offers strategic guidance for protecting Class 0 and Class 1 devices. It highlights the urgent research gap in Post-Quantum Lightweight Cryptography (PQLWC) needed to secure long-term infrastructure against future threats.
Keywords	Lightweight Cryptography (LWC), ASCON, Side-Channel Analysis (SCA), Class 0 Devices, NIST SP 800-232, Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC).
Field	Engineering
Published In	Volume 16, Issue 4, October-December 2025
Published On	2025-12-14
DOI	https://doi.org/10.71097/IJSAT.v16.i4.10198
Short DOI	https://doi.org/hbm8bm

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International Journal on Science and Technology