Performance Evaluation of Multimedia Transmission over Error-Prone Wireless Channel Using Block and Stream Ciphers.

Abstract

Network security is one of the crucial topics discussed nowadays, as the world is emerging towards new systems and technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, and Internet of Things (IoT). Cryptography plays an important role in managing and providing security services to the information stored and exchanged over the digital network. Cryptographic algorithms are integrated in many of our daily life systems and applications such as: smart cards, electronic devices, mobile applications, and many social media platforms. Therefore, it is important to study the features of the existing cryptographic algorithms to find trends between stream ciphers and block ciphers. Since block ciphers operate at a fixed block size, it is very difficult to apply them in applications that require transmission of large amount of data over error-prone channels. In addition, the avalanche property in block ciphers cause error propagation from a single bit error, resulting in significant corruption to the whole data block. Therefore, cipher block modes of operation are used with the symmetric block ciphers to generate larger stream of input and providing security at the bit level to protect large data from error propagation. In this project, two simulations are conducted to evaluate block and stream ciphers over an error-prone wireless channel in terms of image error rate and time complexity. The first simulation compares the performance of the Rivest (RC4) stream cipher with the following block ciphers: Data Encryption Standard (DES), 3DES and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The second simulation examines how the following modes of operation: Cipher Block Chaining (CBC), Cipher Feed-Back (CFB) and Counter (CTR) applied to the AES would enhance the performance of AES compared to RC4. The results show a trade-off in the performance of the algorithms in terms of speed, security, and resistant to channel errors. Stream ciphers are faster and more efficient at localizing errors at a bit level, yet block ciphers are more secure. However, using the modes of operation with AES, the AES-CTR cipher was able to eliminate error propagation more than RC4. In terms of speed, the AES-CTR processed the data with less time compared to AES, but it required more time than RC4.