How to Implement Symmetric Key Cryptography in OMNeT++
To implement symmetric key cryptography in OMNeT++ has encompasses to generate the simulation wherever the network nodes securely transfer the information using the same secret key for both encryption and decryption and the symmetric key cryptography is often used for secure communication because of its efficiency compared to public key cryptography. The given below are the procedures on how to implement the symmetric key cryptography in OMNeT++:
Steps to Implement Symmetric Key Cryptography in OMNeT++
- Set up the Network Environment
Initiate by stating a basic network topology where nodes will interact securely using symmetric key cryptography. The topology might include:
- Client Nodes: These nodes will send encrypted information to other nodes using a shared symmetric key.
- Server Nodes: These nodes will decrypt the received data using the same symmetric key.
- A Key Distribution Centre (KDC): Optionally, this can be concluded to handle and distribute symmetric keys.
Network Topology Setup:
State the simple modules for the network:
simple ClientNode
{
parameters:
@display(“i=block/pc”);
gates:
inout ethg;
}
simple ServerNode
{
parameters:
@display(“i=block/server”);
gates:
inout ethg;
}
simple KeyDistributionCenter
{
parameters:
@display(“i=block/key”);
gates:
inout ethg;
}
network SymmetricKeyNetwork
{
submodules:
client: ClientNode;
server: ServerNode;
kdc: KeyDistributionCenter;
connections:
client.ethg <–> server.ethg;
client.ethg <–> kdc.ethg;
server.ethg <–> kdc.ethg;
}
- Implement Key Distribution
Before secure communication occurs, both the client and server need to share a symmetric key. This can be completed via a Key Distribution Center (KDC) or direct exchange.
Key Distribution Center (KDC) Logic:
class KeyDistributionCenter : public cSimpleModule {
private:
std::string symmetricKey = “sharedSecretKey”; // Predefined symmetric key
protected:
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
cPacket *pkt = check_and_cast<cPacket*>(msg);
std::string requester = pkt->par(“requester”).stringValue();
// Respond with the symmetric key
cPacket *response = new cPacket(“KeyResponse”);
response->addPar(“symmetricKey”) = symmetricKey;
send(response, “ethg$o”);
}
};
- Implement Symmetric Key Encryption and Decryption
The client encrypts information using the symmetric key, and the server decrypts it using the same key.
- Client Encryption Logic:
class ClientNode : public cSimpleModule {
private:
std::string symmetricKey;
protected:
virtual void initialize() override {
// Request symmetric key from the KDC
requestSymmetricKey();
}
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
cPacket *pkt = check_and_cast<cPacket*>(msg);
if (strcmp(pkt->getName(), “KeyResponse”) == 0) {
symmetricKey = pkt->par(“symmetricKey”).stringValue();
EV << “Received symmetric key: ” << symmetricKey << endl;
encryptAndSendData();
} else {
// Handle other messages
}
delete pkt;
}
void requestSymmetricKey() {
cPacket *request = new cPacket(“KeyRequest”);
request->addPar(“requester”) = “client”;
send(request, “ethg$o”);
}
void encryptAndSendData() {
std::string data = “SensitiveData”;
std::string encryptedData = encryptData(data, symmetricKey);
cPacket *dataPacket = new cPacket(“EncryptedData”);
dataPacket->addPar(“data”) = encryptedData;
send(dataPacket, “ethg$o”);
}
std::string encryptData(const std::string &data, const std::string &key) {
// Simple XOR encryption for demonstration
std::string encryptedData = data;
for (size_t i = 0; i < data.size(); ++i) {
encryptedData[i] ^= key[i % key.size()];
}
return encryptedData;
}
};
- Server Decryption Logic:
class ServerNode : public cSimpleModule {
private:
std::string symmetricKey;
protected:
virtual void initialize() override {
// Request symmetric key from the KDC
requestSymmetricKey();
}
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
cPacket *pkt = check_and_cast<cPacket*>(msg);
if (strcmp(pkt->getName(), “KeyResponse”) == 0) {
symmetricKey = pkt->par(“symmetricKey”).stringValue();
EV << “Received symmetric key: ” << symmetricKey << endl;
} else if (strcmp(pkt->getName(), “EncryptedData”) == 0) {
std::string encryptedData = pkt->par(“data”).stringValue();
std::string decryptedData = decryptData(encryptedData, symmetricKey);
EV << “Received and decrypted data: ” << decryptedData << endl;
}
delete pkt;
}
void requestSymmetricKey() {
cPacket *request = new cPacket(“KeyRequest”);
request->addPar(“requester”) = “server”;
send(request, “ethg$o”);
}
std::string decryptData(const std::string &data, const std::string &key) {
// Simple XOR decryption (same as encryption in this case)
std::string decryptedData = data;
for (size_t i = 0; i < data.size(); ++i) {
decryptedData[i] ^= key[i % key.size()];
}
return decryptedData;
}
};
- Simulate and Evaluate the Symmetric Key Cryptography
Run simulations to measure the performance and correctness of the symmetric key cryptography implementation:
- Verify Correctness: Make sure that the client successfully encoded the information with the symmetric key and that the server appropriately decodes it using the same key.
- Measure Performance: Measure the time it takes for encoding and decoding and how it affects the interaction latency.
- Test Key Distribution: Make sure that the symmetric key is appropriately shared by the KDC and used by both the client and server.
- Enhance Security and Realism
To further enhance the implementation:
- Use Real Cryptographic Algorithms: Replace the simple XOR encryption with real symmetric encryption techniques such as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard).
- Simulate Key Management: Execute more sophisticated key management that contains key rotation and expiration.
- Handle Larger Scenarios: Expand the network topology to contain the multiple clients and servers, and mimic the environment with dynamic key distribution.
In this page, we had demonstrate to implement the symmetric key cryptography using the OMNeT++ tool that has to generate the network then apply the key distribution and execute the encoding and decoding the information that measure the performance and correctness of the symmetric key cryptography. We also provide the detailed information about the symmetric key cryptography.
We provide top-notch guidance and help with implementing Symmetric Key Cryptography in your OMNeT++ application. Reach out to us for a project performance comparison!