LWED: Lightweight white-box encryption communication system for drones over CARX algorithm

Abstract

The application field of drones is being broadened with the development of communication and computer technology, but the communication link and data security of drones are facing great threats due to the limited hardware and software resource environment. Attackers can access not only the intermediate data of drone nodes through various means, but even tamper or manipulate their communication environment, when the drone and the control terminal are not trusted and can be regarded as a white-box attack environment. To solve the security problem in drone communication, a lightweight block cipher CARX for drones is proposed and white-boxed for its implementation to cope with the increasingly severe white-box attacks. And over this cryptographic algorithm, a simulated lightweight white-box encryption communication system for drones (LWED) is designed, which can complete the encryption and decryption operations and secure transmission of data and images, etc. The average encryption rate of the 64-bit version of the algorithm is 7.29×10-2Mbps, and the average encryption rate of white-box CARX (WCARX) is 1.18×10-2Mbps, and the average decryption time of the flight status parameters data of the encrypted communication control system is 0.14s. Compared with similar algorithms, the CARX algorithm can guarantee the encryption and decryption efficiency while providing high security and resistance to a variety of attacks, and can fully secure the data during the communication process after being built into the security system of drone.