Comparative Analysis of AES, Blowfish, Twofish, Salsa20, and ChaCha20 for Image Encryption

Rebwar Khalid  Muhammed; Ribwar Rashid Aziz; Alla Ahmad Hassan; Aso Mohammed  Aladdin; Shaida Jumaah Saydah; Tarik Ahmed Rashid; Bryar Ahmad Hassan

doi:10.24017/science.2024.1.5

Authors

Rebwar Khalid Muhammed Network department, Computer Science Institute, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3288-7340
Ribwar Rashid Aziz Database department, Computer Science Institute, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3380-6476
Alla Ahmad Hassan Database department, Computer Science Institute, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0595-5527
Aso Mohammed Aladdin Department of Computer Science, College of Science, Charmo University, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8734-0811
Shaida Jumaah Saydah Ministry of Education, Kirkuk Education Department of Kurdish Studies, Hawazen Preparatory School for Girls, Kirkuk, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2884-004X
Tarik Ahmed Rashid Computer Science and Engineering Department, School of Science and Engineering, University of Kurdistan Hewler, Erbil, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8661-258X
Bryar Ahmad Hassan Computer Science and Engineering Department, School of Science and Engineering, University of Kurdistan Hewler, Erbil, Iraq | Department of Computer Science, College of Science, Charmo University, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4476-9351

Abstract

Nowadays, cybersecurity has grown into a more significant and difficult sci-entific issue. The recognition of threats and attacks meant for knowledge and safety on the internet is growing harder to detect. Since cybersecurity guar-antees the privacy and security of data sent via the Internet, it is essential, while also providing protection against malicious attacks. Encrypt has grown into an answer that has become an essential element of information security systems. To ensure the security of shared data, including text, images, or videos, it is essential to employ various methods and strategies. This study delves into the prevalent cryptographic methods and algorithms utilized for prevention and stream encryption, examining their encoding techniques such as advanced encryption standard (AES), Blowfish, Twofish, Salsa20, and ChaCha20. The primary objective of this research is to identify the optimal times and throughputs (speeds) for data encryption and decryption processes. The methodology of this study involved selecting five distinct types of images to compare the outcomes of the techniques evaluated in this research. The as-sessment focused on processing time and speed parameters, examining visual encoding and decoding using Java as the primary platform. A comparative analysis of several symmetric key ciphers was performed, focusing on handling large datasets. Despite this limitation, comparing different images helped evaluate the techniques' novelty. The results showed that ChaCha20 had the best average time for both encryption and decryption, being over 50% faster than some other algorithms. However, the Twofish algorithm had lower throughput during testing. The paper concludes with findings and suggestions for future improvements.

Keywords:

Encoding , Decoding, Blowfish, Twofish, Salsa20, Chach20, AES

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