How to Implement Lightweight Cryptography in ns3

To implement lightweight cryptography in ns3 contains creating a protected statement situation wherever the nodes use effective and low-resource cryptographic algorithms. Lightweight cryptography is mostly helpful for resource-constrained environments such as IoT devices. Now, we see a step-by-step guide to help theexecute lightweight cryptography in ns3.

Step-by-Step Implementations:

Step 1: Set Up ns3 Environment

  1. Install ns3: Download and install ns3. For the operating system we follow the suitable installation guide.
  2. Familiarize yourself with ns3: Read through the ns3 tutorial to realise the elementary concepts and construction of ns3 simulations.

Step 2: Set Up a Lightweight Cryptography Library

  1. Install a Lightweight Cryptography Library: We can use libraries like TinyCrypt,. It offers lightweight application of cryptographic algorithms.
  2. Install the Library: For TinyCrypt, we follow the installation instructions. We can need to download the library source code and add it with ns3 setup.

Step 3: Define the Network Topology

  1. Create a Simple Network: Using ns3 we define a basic network topology. It includes to creating nodes, setting up channels, and configuring IP addresses. Then for simplicity, we can use a point-to-point topology.

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/point-to-point-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

#include <tinycrypt/aes.h>

#include <tinycrypt/ccm_mode.h>

#include <iostream>

#include <iomanip>

#include <sstream>

using namespace ns3;

// Helper function to convert a string to a hexadecimal representation

std::string StringToHex(const std::string &input) {

std::ostringstream output;

for (unsigned char c : input) {

output << std::hex << std::setw(2) << std::setfill(‘0’) << (int)c;

}

return output.str();

}

// Helper function to convert a hexadecimal string to bytes

std::string HexToString(const std::string &input) {

std::string output;

output.reserve(input.size() / 2);

for (size_t i = 0; i < input.size(); i += 2) {

unsigned int byte;

std::istringstream(input.substr(i, 2)) >> std::hex >> byte;

output.push_back(static_cast<unsigned char>(byte));

}

return output;

}

// Lightweight encryption using TinyCrypt AES

std::string EncryptWithTinyCrypt(const std::string &plaintext, const std::string &key) {

struct tc_aes_key_sched_struct s;

unsigned char ciphertext[plaintext.size()];

unsigned char key_bytes[TC_AES_KEY_SIZE];

memcpy(key_bytes, key.c_str(), TC_AES_KEY_SIZE);

tc_aes128_set_encrypt_key(&s, key_bytes);

tc_aes_encrypt(ciphertext, reinterpret_cast<const unsigned char *>(plaintext.c_str()), &s);

return std::string(reinterpret_cast<char *>(ciphertext), plaintext.size());

}

// Lightweight decryption using TinyCrypt AES

std::string DecryptWithTinyCrypt(const std::string &ciphertext, const std::string &key) {

struct tc_aes_key_sched_struct s;

unsigned char plaintext[ciphertext.size()];

unsigned char key_bytes[TC_AES_KEY_SIZE];

memcpy(key_bytes, key.c_str(), TC_AES_KEY_SIZE);

tc_aes128_set_decrypt_key(&s, key_bytes);

tc_aes_decrypt(plaintext, reinterpret_cast<const unsigned char *>(ciphertext.c_str()), &s);

return std::string(reinterpret_cast<char *>(plaintext), ciphertext.size());

}

class LightweightCryptoApp : public Application {

public:

LightweightCryptoApp() {}

virtual ~LightweightCryptoApp() {}

void Setup(Address address, uint16_t port, const std::string &key) {

m_peerAddress = address;

m_peerPort = port;

m_key = key;

}

private:

virtual void StartApplication() {

m_socket = Socket::CreateSocket(GetNode(), TypeId::LookupByName(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”));

m_socket->Bind();

m_socket->Connect(InetSocketAddress(m_peerAddress, m_peerPort));

// Schedule the first packet transmission

Simulator::Schedule(Seconds(1.0), &LightweightCryptoApp::SendPacket, this);

// Set up the receive callback

m_socket->SetRecvCallback(MakeCallback(&LightweightCryptoApp::ReceivePacket, this));

}

virtual void StopApplication() {

if (m_socket) {

m_socket->Close();

m_socket = 0;

}

}

void SendPacket() {

std::string message = “Hello, this is a secure message!”;

std::string encryptedMessage = EncryptWithTinyCrypt(message, m_key);

Ptr<Packet> packet = Create<Packet>((uint8_t *)encryptedMessage.c_str(), encryptedMessage.size());

m_socket->Send(packet);

// Schedule the next packet transmission

Simulator::Schedule(Seconds(1.0), &LightweightCryptoApp::SendPacket, this);

}

void ReceivePacket(Ptr<Socket> socket) {

Ptr<Packet> packet = socket->Recv();

uint8_t buffer[1024];

packet->CopyData(buffer, packet->GetSize());

std::string encryptedMessage((char *)buffer, packet->GetSize());

std::string decryptedMessage = DecryptWithTinyCrypt(encryptedMessage, m_key);

std::cout << “Received message: ” << decryptedMessage << std::endl;

}

Ptr<Socket> m_socket;

Address m_peerAddress;

uint16_t m_peerPort;

std::string m_key;

};

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create(2); // Example: 2 nodes (1 client, 1 server)

PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;

pointToPoint.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“1Gbps”));

pointToPoint.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“2ms”));

NetDeviceContainer devices;

devices = pointToPoint.Install(nodes);

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install(nodes);

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

address.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign(devices);

uint16_t port = 9;

// Generate a lightweight symmetric key (128 bits for AES)

std::string key = “1234567890123456”; // Example key, should be securely generated in practice

Ptr<LightweightCryptoApp> clientApp = CreateObject<LightweightCryptoApp>();

clientApp->Setup(InetSocketAddress(interfaces.GetAddress(1), port), port, key);

nodes.Get(0)->AddApplication(clientApp);

clientApp->SetStartTime(Seconds(2.0));

clientApp->SetStopTime(Seconds(10.0));

Ptr<LightweightCryptoApp> serverApp = CreateObject<LightweightCryptoApp>();

serverApp->Setup(InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address::GetAny(), port), port, key);

nodes.Get(1)->AddApplication(serverApp);

serverApp->SetStartTime(Seconds(1.0));

serverApp->SetStopTime(Seconds(10.0));

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

return 0;

}

Explanation:

  1. TinyCrypt Integration:
    • AES encryption and decryption used by TinyCrypt. Make sure the TinyCrypt library is installed and linked properly.
  2. Helper Functions:
    • A string to its hexadecimal representation is converted by StringToHex.
    • A hexadecimal string to bytes is converted by HexToString.
    • Use TinyCrypt AES encodes data for EncryptWithTinyCrypt.
    • Use TinyCrypt AES decodes data for DecryptWithTinyCrypt TinyCrypt.
  3. LightweightCryptoApp Class:
    • LightweightCryptoApp class is handled the application logic, with sending and receiving encoding messages.
    • Setup method modifies the application with peer address, port, and AES key.
    • StartApplication method is sets up the socket connection, lists the first packet transmission, and sets up the take callback.
    • SendPacket method encodes the message and refers it to the peer node.
    • Decrypts the usual message and prints it by using ReceivePacket method.
  4. Main Function:
    • To creates a simple point-to-point network among the 2 nodes like client and server.
    • We Initialized the LightweightCryptoApp applications on both client and server nodes with the created AES key.
    • The client sends encoding messages to the server, and the server decrypts and prints the messages.

Compile and Run:

  1. Compile the Code: Make sure we have to TinyCrypt installed on the system. Then, compile the code using the given command:

bash

g++ -std=c++11 -o ns3-lightweight-crypto main.cc -ltinycrypt `pkg-config –cflags –libs ns3-dev`

  1. Run the Simulation: Accomplished the compiled program:

bash

./ns3-lightweight-crypto

The above setup validates a simple enactment of lightweight cryptography in ns3. We can grow it advance to embrace more nodes, complex topologies, and add cryptographic functionalities as wanted.

The following text are about how to execute the Lightweight Cryptography in ns3.  We realise how to define the network topology and their process. We are interested to offer the much more information and ideas about the Lightweight Cryptography in ns3.

To ensure a successful implementation of Lightweight Cryptography in the ns3 tool, you may contact the ns3simulation.com team. We provide comprehensive guidance and project ideas to assist you in your research endeavors.