Case studies of performance evaluation of cryptographic algorithms for an embedded system and a general purpose computer

Embedded systems are associations between hardware and software designed to perform a specific function. These systems are usually part of a larger system and their wireless communications are a hallmark. Therefore, it is important to guarantee a secure communication by ensuring the confidentiality of information, which is obtained through cryptography. Security has not traditionally been considered a requirement in embedded systems design and the application of specific security techniques to these devices is still incipient. This paper presents a performance evaluation analysis of cryptographic algorithms in embedded systems (namely RC2, AES, Blowfish, DES, 3DES, ECC and RSA). Parameters considered in the analysis are average processor and memory usage, response time and power consumption. The results show that symmetric and asymmetric algorithms such as Blowfish and ECC have a good performance in embedded systems when properly chosen for each situation.