A Performance Comparison of the PRESENT Lightweight Cryptography Algorithm on Different Hardware Platforms

For decades the security of information during its transportation from one location to another has been held with great importance. The technology of cryptography has been used for applications such as banking, transport of classified information and even to transfer detailed instructions to the front lines of the battlefield in times of war. As technology moves forward and semiconductor devices miniaturise in accordance with Moores law electronic devices are becoming faster, smaller and cheaper. These devices are constantly increasing in what they are capable of doing. Small scale devices such are RFID tag and contact-less credit cards require the information stored on the device be kept secure. The technology of lightweight cryptography has been utilised in these devices to provide a fast lightweight solution to keeping information secure. This paper looks at the PRESENT cipher, which is a lightweight block cipher designed to be easily implemented in hardware. This paper looks at the different implementations of the PRESENT algorithm in both hardware and software, and compare its performance on different platforms.