Title:Comparative Randomness Analysis of DES Variants
VOLUME: 10 ISSUE: 3
Author(s):Malik Qasaimeh* and Raad S. Al-Qassas
Affiliation:Department of Software Engineering, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Amman, Department of Computer Science, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Amman
Keywords:Encryption algorithm, randomness test, symmetric distance, data cipher difference, encryption time, DES, HDES,
DESX.
Abstract:Background: Over the past few years, researchers have devoted efforts to enhance the robustness
and randomness of the original DES cipher. These enhancements focused on improving multiple
perspectives of the algorithm to deliver robust DES variants against typical attacks.
Method: Recent publications and patent databases have been reviewed to investigate the potential enhancements
in DES cipher algorithm. The enhancements have targeted the main components of DES
including the F-function, S-boxes arrangements, and the key length.
Result: This paper introduces a DES variant named Hashed Data Encryption Standard (HDES). The
main idea behind HDES cryptographic algorithm is to provide a trade-off between fast encryption while
ensuring a degree of randomness in the encrypted data. HDES employs several techniques including the
use of a hash function and secure arrangements of S-boxes. The idea of using the hash is to create a
fingerprint of the plaintext. This fingerprint is used to generate a seed and the subsequent round seeds.
Conclusion: The randomness analysis of HDES and its counterparts DES and DESX have shown performance
merits of HDES in terms of entropy difference, cipher data randomness, symmetric distance
and encryption time.
