Performance Evaluation Of Encryption Algorithms' Key Length Size On Web Browsers

Summary

In this article, the research correlates to our previous study done

on encryption algorithms' “text length size”. However, in this

study, the evaluation is analysed on a different means instead,

which is the encryption algorithms' “key length size”, but by

imposing the same method and programming language over the

same Web browsers in order to signify their performance

differences. The performance is based on the encryption process

of the programming language’s script with the Web browsers. We

had performed the simulation test by observing their

performances as to which algorithm works best and most suited

to which Web browser. The results were obtained and concluded

in our findings.

Key words:

Data Security, Encryption Method, Encryption Algorithms, Web

Browser, ASP.

1. Introduction

In today's technology advancement era, where computers

are no longer the needs, but has become a nutrient of

necessity to comply with and serve all activities [1,2]. In

many organisations, they craved for secure, reliable, simple

and flexible system. Thus, there is no security system that

has been said to be foolproofed. However, researchers

throughout the world are in search to strengthen the

security systems and continue to make improvements to

the ones that are existed in order to combat against the

attackers.

In this study, similarly to the ones in our previous research

article on encryption, we made a study on another aspect

that is the key length size as opposed the previous ones of

the text length size. In [3], the text length size was

increased and the key length size remains unchanged,

where we had monitored its performances and obtained a

set of results. Here, is the reverse, whereby we had

increased the key length size instead, but restrained the size

of the text length.

2. Conceptual Framework

In our study, we have imposed a Web programming

language script namely the Active Server Pages (ASP) that

will be used to analyse with four Web browsers, which are

Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Netscape

Navigator as the ones that were utilised in [3]. This study

will be conducted in order to determine which type of

algorithm is suitable to which type of Web browser in

terms of their performance and compatibility.

There are five types of encryption algorithms that were

selected to be utilised, which will be used for the analysis

namely Blowfish, International Data Encryption Algorithm

(IDEA), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Tiny

Encryption Algorithm (TEA) and Twofish [1,3]. These

encryption algorithms are known to be able to support 128-

bit key size [4]. Subsequently, the five types of algorithm

will be co-analysed with the four Web browsers

mentioned earlier, which are able to process its scripts

effectively and in an efficient manner.

3. Methodology

As stated in [1,3], the idea of an encryption is basically to

secure the data held within a message or file and to ensure

that the data is unreadable to others. The unencrypted

message or file is often referred to as

Plaintext (raw data), and the encrypted message or

file is referred as Ciphertext. Figure 1 illustrates the

process of data encryption from an unencrypted data into

an encrypted data.

Figure 1: Data Encryption

In encryption , it consists of key length in number of bits.

A key is a long sequence of bits used by encryption

algorithms. Thus the length of key determines the

probabilities if one ought to figure it out all its possible key

values [1].

Figure 2 exemplifies the data before and after it is

encrypted, then stored in a database. The two data are of

the same values, where the one circled in blue is the

unencrypted data (in English it stands for “School of

Computer and Communication Engineering”) and the

encrypted data (funny characters) circled in red is

Plaintext

Encryption

Algorithm Ciphertext

Submit Store

Data

IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.12 No.5, May 2012 11

encrypted using the Blowfish encryption algorithm.

Figure 2: Encrypted Data vs. Raw Data Stored in the Database Using

Blowfish Encryption Algorithm

4. Performance Analysis

A test was conducted by using two computers that have

been setup and dedicated as Client and Server via a router

in order to determine which of the five encryption

algorithms perform better over the four Web browsers

stated in Section 2. By performing the encryption testing,

we would like to test the performance of the five

encryption algorithms by encrypting a set of text and key

via Web browsers on an ASP scripts. Thus, the key length

starting at 10 will be increase four times its initial

characters, whereas the text length for each key length

remains static.

5. Simulation Test

The encryption test involves in testing the performance

of the encryption algorithms and to perceive which of the

algorithms have the best performance in attaining or able

to sustain lower response time.

Figure 3 shows a sample of how a fifty-character text i.e.

MalaysiannMalaysiannMalaysiannMalaysiannMalaysiann

will be encrypted using a six-character key or password i.e.

UniMAP by using AES encryption algorithm on Mozilla

Firefox Web browser.

Figure 3: Encrypt Fifty Characters Using Six Characters Key (or

Password)

Figure 4 illustrates the output as a result of the fiftycharacter

that was encrypted by using the UniMAP key or

password on AES encryption algorithm and projected the

response time that it took to process the encryption. Hence,

it took 0.3047 milliseconds on Mozilla Firefox.

Figure 4: Encryption Outcome of Fifty Characters Using Six Characters

Key (or Password)

6. Results

The outcome of the testing will project the response time

i.e. the encryption process and the time taken for the four

Web browsers namely Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox,

Opera and Netscape Navigator after performing the

encrypting scripts timed in milliseconds onto

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