Structural analysis and cryptanalytic evaluation of lightweight block ciphers using algebraic and differential techniques
*Kamaljeet Kaur MangatCorresponding authorkamalmangat@yahoo.co.inDepartment of Computer SciencePunjabi University Centre for Emerging and Innovative TechnologyPunjabi UniversityMohali, Punjab, 160062, IndiaView full profile → , Amardeep Kauramardeeptiet@gmail.comDepartment of Computer SciencePunjabi University Centre for Emerging and Innovative TechnologyPunjabi UniversityMohali, Punjab, 160062, IndiaView full profile →
* Corresponding author · click or hover a name for details
- Received:
- 01 Apr 2026
- Published Online:
- 31 Oct 2026
- Article type:
- Research Article
- Language:
- EN
- Article no.:
- JDMSC-3088
- Pages:
- 4741–4752
Abstract
The rapid growth of resource-limited systems, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), embedded systems and wireless sensor networks has created a pressing need for efficient and secure cryptographic schemes. Another growing trend is lightweight block ciphers, which provide an alternative to such conventional encryption algorithms as AES, and are less resource-intensive. The paper has proposed to address this issue with a unified structural analysis and cryptanalytic evaluation framework which is an amalgam of algebraic and differential approaches. This paper seeks to provide a rigorous, comprehensive and quantitative evaluation of lightweight block ciphers’ security. The proposed method describes the operations of a cipher as many-to-many multivariate polynomial systems in finite fields, and at the same time it considers the differential propagation by using difference distribution tables (DDTs). A combined security measure Lis proposed to quantify the balance between the algebraic degree and differential probability, to offer a multi-dimensional view of the cipher security. The experimental results are based on the analysis of typical lightweight ciphers PRESENT, SIMON and GIFT. From the results, it is clear that the proposed framework can perform better security analysis, with a higher degree of algebra (up to 25), lower differential probability (as low as 0.015) and attack efficiency (around 42.3%) than the previous techniques. Moreover, the comparative study does confirm that the integrated approach can provide a better understanding of cipher vulnerabilities and strengths.
Keywords
Subject Classifications
References
[1] J. Y. Feng, L. Li, L. Y. Yan, and C. T. Deng, “INLEC: An involutive and low energy lightweight block cipher for Internet of Things,” Pervasive Mobile Comput., vol. 105, Art. no. 101991 (2024).
[2] M. Girija, P. Manickam, and M. Ramaswami, “PriPresent: An embedded prime lightweight block cipher for smart devices,” Peer-to-Peer Netw. Appl., vol. 14, pp. 2462–2472 (2021).
[3] X. Huang, L. Li, and J. Yang, “IVLBC: An involutive lightweight block cipher for Internet of Things,” IEEE Syst. J., vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 3192–3203 (2023).
[4] P. Jha, H. Y. Zorkta, D. Allawi, and M. R. Al-Nakkar, “Improved lightweight encryption algorithm (ILEA),” in Proc. Int. Conf. Emerging Technol. (INCET), Belgaum, India, Jun. 5–7, pp. 8–11 (2020).
[5] C. Mudimannan, S. S. Bhati, A. Shelke, P. Dhabe, K. R. Kumar, and C. K. Veni, “Strategic approaches to enhancing data security in intelligent power networks through technology and policy,” J. Discrete Math. Sci. Cryptogr., vol. 29, no. 2-A, pp. 411–419 (2026), doi: 10.47974/JDMSC-2472.
[6] B. T. Liu, L. Li, R. X. Wu, M. M. Xie, and Q. P. Li, “Loong: A family of involutional lightweight block cipher based on SPN structure,” IEEE Access, vol. 7, pp. 136023–136035 (2019).
[7] K. R. Praneeth, H. M. A. Ghanimi, M. S. Narayana, N. Kafila, B. R. Kumar, S. Sengan, and P. Dadheech, “A cyber-physical system with blockchain integrated chaotic secure hash algorithms-256 for secured supply chain management system,” J. Discrete Math. Sci. Cryptogr., vol. 28, no. 5-B, pp. 1935–1944 (2025), doi: 10.47974/JDMSC-2369.
[8] K. Parvathy, B. Nataraj, S. Rajalakshmi, and P. Duraisamy, “A review on lightweight cryptographic algorithms in Internet of Things,” in Proc. 5th Int. Conf. Inventive Res. Comput. Appl. (ICIRCA), Coimbatore, India, Aug. 3–5, pp. 1448–1451 (2023).
[9] A. A. M. Ragab, A. Madani, A. M. Wahdan, and G. M. I. Selim, “Design, analysis, and implementation of a new lightweight block cipher for protecting IoT smart devices,” J. Ambient Intell. Humaniz. Comput., vol. 14, pp. 6077–6094 (2023).
[10] Q. Song, L. Li, and X. Huang, “LELBC: A low energy lightweight block cipher for smart agriculture,” Internet Things, vol. 25, Art. no. 101022 (2024).
[11] J. Soto-Cruz, E. Ruiz-Ibarra, J. Vázquez-Castillo, A. Espinoza-Ruiz, A. Castillo-Atoche, and J. Mass-Sanchez, “A survey of efficient lightweight cryptography for power-constrained microcontrollers,” Technologies, vol. 13, no. 1, Art. no. 3 (2025).
[12] W. Sun, L. Li, and X. Huang, “LTLBC: A low-latency lightweight block cipher for Internet of Things,” Cluster Comput., vol. 27, pp. 9783–9794 (2024).
[13] A. Zakaria, A. H. Azni, F. Ridzuan, N. H. Zakaria, and M. Daud, “Systematic literature review: Trend analysis on the design of lightweight block cipher,” J. King Saud Univ.-Comput. Inf. Sci., vol. 35, no. 4, Art. no. 101550 (2023).
[14] A. A. Zakaria, A. H. A. Halim, F. Ridzuan, N. H. Zakaria, and M. Daud, “LAO-3D: A symmetric lightweight block cipher based on 3D permutation for mobile encryption application,” Symmetry, vol. 14, no. 10, Art. no. 2042 (2022).
