Java Implementation and Performance Analysis of 14 SHA-3 Hash Functions on a Constrained Device

Abstract

Several of the widely used cryptographic hash functions in use today are under attack. With the need to maintain a certain level of security, NIST is in the process of selecting new cryptographic hash function(s). Through a public competition the candidates will be evaluated and analyzed by the public and the winner(s) become the new standard cryptographic hash algorithm(s). Cryptographic hash algorithms have a wide range of applications, and the winner(s) will have to perform well in various platforms and application areas. The number of constrained devices surrounding us at a daily basis is rapidly increasing. As these devices are used for a great variety of applications, security issues arise. The winning algorithm(s) will not only have to prove a strong security, but also show good performance and capability to run on constrained devices. In this thesis, we show the results of our implementation of the second round SHA-3 candidates in Java, and perform a cost and performance analysis of them on a low-cost 32-bit ARM9 CPU by measuring cycles/byte and ROM requirements. The analysis is conducted on the Sun SPOT platform, by Sun Microsystems, with a Squawk Virtual Machine.