Lightweight security tools cut power use by 37% in low-power internet devices

A test of compact encryption and hashing tools found that one pairing used less memory and energy than AES-CCM on two microcontrollers.

Editorial illustration — not from the study.

The study evaluated compact cryptographic tools intended for low-power wide-area networks, including networks used by connected sensors and meters. The researchers tested block ciphers, stream ciphers and hash functions on STM32L0 and nRF52840 microcontrollers.

The combination of the PRESENT cipher and SPONGENT hash function reduced memory demand by 52% and energy use by 37% compared with AES-CCM. The study also assessed security against differential, linear and replay attacks and reported no loss of core security properties.

What the tests found

Among the tested combinations, PRESENT paired with SPONGENT reduced memory demand by 52% and energy use by 37% compared with AES-CCM. The researchers evaluated the tools on ultra-low-power STM32L0 and nRF52840 microcontrollers, measuring memory use, processing delay and energy consumption. They also conducted tests involving differential, linear and replay attacks, and reported that the pairing maintained data confidentiality, integrity and authentication.

Why smaller security matters

Low-power network devices often have limited memory, computing capacity and battery power, which can make conventional security tools costly to run. The reported reductions suggest that compact cryptography could help devices used in smart metering, environmental monitoring and industrial telemetry provide security while using fewer device resources.

Evidence and limits

This is a performance and security evaluation of cryptographic implementations on two microcontroller platforms. The abstract does not provide the number of test runs, detailed attack results, latency values, or the exact testing conditions, so the reported reductions cannot be assessed in more detail from the available information. Results from these two platforms may not apply to every low-power network device or deployment.

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