Comprehensive Survey of Lightweight Ciphers for Resource-Constrained IoT Devices

Abstract

The rapid growth of IoT devices has highlighted the need for effective security solutions suitable for resource-constrained environments. Since traditional cryptography methods are often computationally expensive, this has resulted in the creation of lightweight cryptography (LWC), which aims to develop efficient ciphers that balance security, performance, and resource efficiency. This survey paper explores lightweight cryptographic algorithms, mainly hardware-based block ciphers, by analyzing 43 widely used ciphers based on key metrics in hardware implementation such as throughput, efficiency, energy consumption, and hardware area. These metrics are critical for evaluating cryptographic solutions for IoT devices with constrained resources. The study identifies trade-offs between security, performance, and resource efficiency, with some ciphers performing well in high-speed applications and others optimized for low energy and minimal hardware use. By providing a comparative analysis, this work aims to assist researchers and developers in selecting suitable cryptographic solutions, contributing to the advancement of IoT security and encouraging further exploration in this important area.