Resource-Efficient and High-Speed PRINCE Cipher for Enhanced RFID Security

Authors

  • Mahendra Naik NITTE (Deemed to be University), NMAM Institute of Technology (NMAMIT), Nitte
  • Chaitra S N NITTE (Deemed to be University), NMAM Institute of Technology (NMAMIT), Nitte
  • Shashikala K S New Horizon College of Engineering, Bengaluru
  • SHASHIKIRAN New Horizon College of Engineering, Bengaluru

Abstract

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a core technology inside the rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT), with several applications in various industries. However, RFID systems have significant privacy and security risks. To address these difficulties, this paper proposes an efficient RFID-based mutual authentication protocol (MAP) that uses the PRINCE lightweight cipher. The proposed PRINCE cipher utilizes a pipelined design supported by an enhanced control mechanism for round operations, resulting in significantly improved throughput and operating efficiency. This design's integrated hardware architecture allows it to carry out both encryption and decryption duties smoothly. The protocol uses five encryption and two decryption operations during the mutual authentication process between RFID tags and readers to provide a safe connection. Performance evaluations show that the suggested PRINCE cipher outperforms existing solutions in terms of area utilization and efficiency. Operating at 224 MHz, the architecture has a remarkable latency of 3.5 clock cycles and a throughput of 4.11 Gbps. When integrated into the RFID-based MAP, it achieves a throughput of 374.6 Mbps, an efficiency of 140.7 Kbps/Slice, and a processing latency of 0.355 μs. Such performance shows its effectiveness and suitability as a robust security solution for IoT environments.

Additional Files

Published

2026-05-16

Issue

Section

Cryptography and Cybersecurity