An enhanced RC5 (ERC5) algorithm based on simple random number key expansion technique

Abstract

RC5 algorithm is lighweight in nature because it has low memory and low power requirement which makes it suitable to be implemented in devices with limited power and memory supply. However, it suffers from slow encryption speed compared to other encryption algorithms. The main purpose of this paper is to enhance this algorithm to increase its encryption speed through a simple yet fast random number addition-then-append key expansion technique. The enhancement includes the generation of random number to be added to the generated key which will be repeated for two rounds and later to be appended, to produce a key material. Additional blocks and bitwise operations are also included in the enhancement. Results show that the enhanced RC5 (ERC5) algorithm positively outperforms the traditional RC5 algorithm and successfully increased its encryption speed.