Title: On the performance of AES algorithm variants

Authors: Mohammed N. Alenezi; Haneen Alabdulrazzaq; Hajed M. Alhatlani; Faisal A. Alobaid

Addresses: Computer Science and Information Systems Department, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait ' Computer Science and Information Systems Department, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait ' Computer Science and Information Systems Department, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait ' Computer Science and Information Systems Department, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait

Abstract: Advanced encryption standard (AES) is frequently used to encrypt data transmission over the internet since it is not prone to practical attacks. Many variants of AES exist with different key sizes and block cipher modes. Choosing an AES variant depends on several factors such as speed, the extent of security required, and the type of the application. As such, it becomes vital to test the performance of these variants to help users choose the most suitable one for their needs. This research presents a performance evaluation of encryption/decryption time and throughput of AES-128, AES-192, AES-256 using modes such as CTR, CBC, CFB, and OFB in Python on various file sizes ranging from 1 MB to 50 MB. The results show a natural pattern where an increase in key size and/or file size prolonged encryption and decryption time. Furthermore, CBC mode was the highest in performance for all key sizes.

Keywords: security; advanced encryption standard; AES; cryptographic algorithms; block cipher modes; throughput.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICS.2024.138494

International Journal of Information and Computer Security, 2024 Vol.23 No.3, pp.322 - 337

Received: 07 Jun 2022
Accepted: 01 Jan 2023
Published online: 08 May 2024 *

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