Simulation of RSA and ElGamal encryption schemes using RF simulator

Abstract

Sensor nodes commonly rely on wireless transmission media such as radio frequency (RF) and typically run on top of CoAP and TFTP protocols which do not provide any security mechanisms. One method of securing sensor node communication over RF is to implement a lightweight encryption scheme. In this paper, a RF Simulator developed in our previous publication which simulates lightweight security protocols for RF device communication using Rivest Shamir Alderman (RSA) and ElGamal encryption scheme are presented. The RF Simulator can be used for a fast trial and debugging for any new wireless security protocol before the actual or experimental implementation of the protocol in the physical devices. In our previous work, we have shown that the RF Simulator can support a cryptographer or engineer in performing quick product test and development for Diffe-Hellman Key Exchange Protocol (DHKE) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) protocols. In this work, we present the simulation result of implementing the RSA and ElGamal encryption scheme using SW-ARQ protocol in sensor node RF communication. The simulation was performed on the same testbed as previous works which comprised of HP DC7800 PCs and ARM Raspberry Pi boards.