A novel systematic byte substitution method to design strong bijective substitution box (S-box) using piece-wise-linear chaotic map

Algebraic structures play a vital role in securing important data. These structures are utilized to construct the non-linear components of block ciphers. Since constructing non-linear components through algebraic structures is crucial for the confusion aspects of encryption schemes, relying solely on these structures can result in limited key spaces. To address this issue, a complex non-chain ring with combination of Henon map based algorithm is presented. This proposed work aims to enhance both security and key space by utilizing complex algebraic structures. In this study, we investigate the use of unit elements from non-chain rings, establishing a mapping from the group of units to Galois fields to enhance the algebraic robustness of the scheme. A substitution box is constructed from Galois field and is applied in image processing. For pixel mixing, the Henon map is employed, and the exclusive OR operation is performed using a key generated from image pixels and the substitution box. The algorithm’s performance is evaluated using standard parameters such as histograms, Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM), correlation analysis, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tests. For S-box analysis, we apply the strict avalanche criterion (SAC), bit independence criterion (BIC), linear approximation probability (LAP), and differential approximation probability (DAP). This algebraic approach utilizes a robust and state-of-the-art image encryption system that is highly effective against potential attackers.

The current information age demands enormous opportunities, where, the sensitive data and information is being exchanged, analyzed and made use of. It has led to several concerns and challenges, mainly in the areas of information privacy, authentication and integrity. This concern, attracted cryptographers to device more effective methodologies and algorithms to ensure better protection to sensitive information. In this context, the application of chaotic based systems is considered to design a pseudorandom sequence generator, which is used as a key stream generator in the additive Stream Cipher system. Chaotic map is a mathematic function that generates highly nonlinear and random real sequence which is very sensitive to initial conditions. In this view, this work focusses on the study of Logistic map, considered from a bunch of various Chaotic functions available [1], [2]. Chaotic real sequence is binarized using a new binarization algorithm using Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR), which is designed in such a way that the randomness of Chaotic real sequence is not affected as far as possible. Using Logistic map, about 50 sequences are generated each of length ≥ 106. To ensure the randomness of binary sequences, NIST(National Institute of Standards and Technology) test is used. It is observed that, all the sequences have strictly passed most of the NIST tests with an average passing proportion ≥ 0.87. These sequences are used as key sequences in image encryption and decryption. It is interesting to observe that, encrypted image does not contain any residual information. This result is cross verified by plotting the Histogram, computing the Correlation coefficient and Entropy of the output images. It is observed that, Histograms are almost flat indicating the equiprobable distribution of pixels. Also, Entropy of the encrypted image is close to 8 and Correlation coefficient value is very negligible indicating that neighboring pixels are heavily uncorrelated. As the key sequence based on Chaotic functions is sensitive to initial conditions, the sequence generated will be highly nonlinear and random which encourages one to use in cryptographic applications.

Efficiency is essential in lightweight cryptography to ensure robust protection within constrained environments. This paper introduces a lightweight block cipher built on a Non-Linear Feedback Shift Register (NFSR), referred to as the NFSR-Based Block Cipher (NFBC). The cipher is designed for constrained environments where both efficiency and strong security are critical. NFBC operates as a Nonce-based Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (NAEAD) scheme, providing confidentiality and authenticity within a single framework. The design achieves robust protection while maintaining minimal hardware overhead. NFBC operates on 128-bit data, key, and nonce sizes, fully aligning with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) lightweight cryptography requirements. The design integrates a Non-Linear Feedback Shift Register (NFSR) for generating high-entropy round subkeys, dynamic chaotic substitution box (S-boxes) for strong confusion, and a Group Permutation (GRP) mechanism that ensures rapid diffusion with hardware-friendly efficiency. Security is rigorously evaluated across multiple dimensions. NFBC passes all 15 NIST Statistical Test Suite (STS) tests, achieves near-ideal avalanche and Bit Independence Criterion (BIC), and demonstrates consistently high nonlinearity across 200 independent chaotic S-box instances. The S-box achieves a maximum differential probability of 10/256 and maximum linear probability of (72/256)^{2}, confirming strong resistance to classical attacks. To strengthen theoretical guarantees, a provable branch-number analysis is introduced, establishing conservative lower bounds on active S-boxes (ge 45 across 20 rounds), with corresponding differential and linear probabilities that are vanishingly small. Formal AEAD security is ensured through an Encrypt-then-MAC (EtM) construction. Implementation on a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA confirms practicality: NFBC achieves superior throughput-per-area compared to several NIST Round-2 lightweight candidates (SPOC, SPOOK, GIFT-COFB, ESTATE, SAEAES, Oribatida) and CAESAR finalists (Ascon-128, Ascon-small, CLOC-AES, SILC-AES). Estimated countermeasure overheads for masking and fault detection demonstrate feasibility against side-channel and fault attacks. These results confirm NFBC as a secure, efficient, and practically deployable lightweight cryptographic solution.

The Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR) which was published in the Federal Register on May 18, 2005, requires that calibration of mercury continuous emissions monitors (CEMs) be performed with NIST-traceable standards. Western Research Institute (WRI) is working closely with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to facilitate the development of the experimental criteria for a NIST traceability protocol for dynamic elemental mercury vapor generators. The traceability protocol will be written by EPA. Traceability will be based on the actual analysis of the output of each calibration unit at several concentration levels ranging from about 2-40 ug/m{sup 3}, and this analysis will be directly traceable to analyses by NIST using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ID ICP/MS) through a chain of analyses linking the calibration unit in the power plant to the NIST ID ICP/MS. Prior to this project, NIST did not provide a recommended mercury vapor pressure equation or list mercury vapor pressure in its vapor pressure database. The NIST Physical and Chemical Properties Division in Boulder, Colorado was subcontracted under this project to study the issue in detail and to recommend a mercury vapormore » pressure equation that the vendors of mercury vapor pressure calibration units can use to calculate the elemental mercury vapor concentration in an equilibrium chamber at a particular temperature. As part of this study, a preliminary evaluation of calibration units from five vendors was made. The work was performed by NIST in Gaithersburg, MD and Joe Rovani from WRI who traveled to NIST as a Visiting Scientist.« less

The Substitution Box (S-box) is a fundamental nonlinear transformation utilized within cryptographic algorithms to map an input bit string into an output bit string. Due to the complexity and variability of cryptographic attacks, constructing S-boxes using traditional methods has proven challenging. However, recent advancements in optimization algorithms have provided new ideas for S-box construction. To address the difficulty of constructing high-performance S-boxes through traditional means, this paper proposes a design for an 8×8 S-box based on the improved sine-cosine algorithm. In this study, genetic algorithm's mutation and crossover operations are incorporated into the sine-cosine algorithm to optimize the initial S-box constructed using the improved Newton iterative method. The resulting S-box is then evaluated based on cryptographic criteria such as bijection, nonlinearity, strict avalanche criterion, bit-independent criterion, linear probability, and differential probability. Comparative analysis with several previous S-box generation methods demonstrates that the proposed S-box design exhibits superior cryptographic properties.

A Look at its Past Decade and a Gaze towards its Future. As the National Metrology Institute (NMI) for the United States, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), formerly the National Bureau of Standards, has provided measurement services, both calibrations and reference materials, for more than 100 years. Through these services, our customers have benefitted from our measurement capabilities and expertise in many areas, including amount of substance; dimensional metrology; electricity and magnetism; ionizing radiation; mass and related quantities; photometry and radiometry; thermodynamics; and time and frequency. NIST’s customers have also had access to some of the lowest measurement uncertainties available and a dependable way to establish traceability to the International System of Units (SI) [http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/metric/si-units.cfm].In response to the signing of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), NIST first established an institution-wide quality system for the measurement services 10 years ago [http://www.bipm.org/en/cipm-mra/objectives.html]. NIST’s Quality System for Measurement Services has advanced the quality of service and measurements we provide our customers by fostering an environment in which NIST management and staff work towards continual improvement in the development and delivery of NIST measurement services. This paper describes NIST’s Quality System for the Measurement Services and its relevance to international standards of quality, such as the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 17025 standard and ISO Guide 34 [http://www.nist.gov/nistqs/]. It also provides a history of this quality system and a glimpse of future goals for improving its implementation.

In modern cryptography, hash functions are considered as one of the key components for secure communication. They play a vital role in a wide range of applications such as ensuring the authentication and integrity of the data, in forensic investigation, password storage, random number generations for unique session keys, and for creating a unified view in blockchain. The Avalanche effect (also known as diffusion) is an important characteristic of a hash function where a minor change in the hash function’s input will result in a significantly different output. The absence of this property implies that the hash function is vulnerable to various attacks such as collision attack, length extension attack, and preimage attack. Through this research, we have investigated the Avalanche effect of sixteen hash functions and two hash-based applications, namely Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC) and Public Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS). To measure the performance of these hash functions and hash-based applications, we have implemented a generic circuit using CrypTool for automating the simulation process for multiple trials. Simulation results indicate that around half of the inputs of each hash function failed to exhibit the Strict Avalanche Criterion (SAC) and, Bit Independence Criterion (BIC). Moreover, we ranked the hash functions based on Multi Criteria Decision Metrics (MCDM) using intermediate states of simulation results. Furthermore, a total of fifteen statistical tests were carried out to evaluate the randomization property of the hash functions using NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) toolkit. This study is aimed to open up a future scope of research to the need for improvement of various hash functions by analyzing the randomization and non-correlation properties of existing functions in terms of the Avalanche effect.

Standards provide critical benefits across a wide variety of contexts, including safety and health, environmental protection, and quality of products and services. However, while these benefits are generally acknowledged, estimating the social and economic value of standards and determining how specific entities and activities influence their development require careful analysis. In October of 2018, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) asked the RAND Corporation to estimate the benefit of NIST’s research contributing to particular fire safety standards. The original objectives of the project were to (1) document the role of the NIST in the standards development process, (2) estimate the value these standards provide to society, and (3) thereby inform the economic value of NIST’s contribution to these standards. This report presents results for the first two objectives. Given that NIST’s contribution is one of several inputs combining to create these standards, NIST’s share of the credit for their value could not be quantified. Our analysis focused on case studies in standards for home smoke alarms and for protecting structures at the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Our analysis draws on a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to holistically describe the impacts of these standards and NIST’s role in their development. The intended audience of this report includes those who work on fire safety research, fire safety standards, building codes, and technology transfer. The conclusions presented here may also be of interest for broader resource allocation and federal budget justification purposes. Finally, this report was written to be accessible to any interested members of the general public.

Discrete memristor has become a hotspot since it was proposed recently. However, the design of chaotic maps based on discrete memristor is in its early research stage. In this paper, a memristive seed chaotic map is proposed by combining a quadratic discrete memristor with the sine function. Furthermore, by applying the chaotification method, we obtain a high-dimensional chaotic map. Numerical analysis shows that it can generate hyperchaos. With the increase of cascade times, the generated map has more positive Lyapunov exponents and larger hyperchaotic range. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) test results show that the chaotic pseudo-random sequence generated by cascading two seed maps has good unpredictability, and it indicates the potential in practical application.

In the fall of 2019, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funded threes studies to better understand equity and inclusivity. This report documents phase two of a three phased sequential, exploratory mixed methods study designed to provide an in-depth look at the population of NIST federal employees to identify factors, attitudes, and processes that might result in gender- specific barriers at NIST. Phase 1 analyzed human resources demographic data, compensation data, and performance data of NIST federal employees from 2011 to 2019 to determine any relevant trends. Phase 1 informed the development of an in-depth interview protocol designed to identify the differences, if any, in the ways in which men and women experience work at NIST. A total of 40 (36 female and 4 male) participants were interviewed. Three interconnected themes emerged in the data: 1) a culture at NIST that creates a Chilly Climate for women; 2) gendered experiences that contribute to and are outcomes of that chilly climate; and 3) gendered outcomes that influence women s experiences in the organization. The culture has evolved from NIST s scientific roots, scientific excellence, a strong belief in meritocracy, and as a Federal agency. Each of these characteristics contribute to a gendered social structure and the perception that change is not needed. This backdrop sets the stage for the characterizations of NIST from the interviews as a Boys Club and an Elitist environment. The radically different perspectives of men and women based in the culture result in experiences and outcomes that provide advantages and opportunities for men while erecting barriers to survival for women, including isolation and possibly exclusion. These barriers result in consequences of discrimination as well as lack of trust and resignation. Participant quotes are used as exemplars to provide details related to each of these themes. Overall, the interviews demonstrate that women and men experience a very different NIST.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), formerly the National Bureau of Standards, was established by the U.S. Congress in 1901 and charged with establishing a measurement foundation to facilitate U.S. and international commerce. NIST provides reference materials and reference instruments that are used to ensure the accuracy, metrological traceability, and comparability of measurement results in many diverse fields of science, industry, and technology. This document provides and explains the vocabulary used at NIST to describe the reference materials and reference instruments available to NIST s customers. This document also describes the methods used in developing NIST reference materials. The definitions and descriptions provided supersede those used in the original versions of this publication, NIST SP260-136 and SP260-136-2020.

This paper presents a summary of the strategies and activities underway at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in electronics packaging, interconnection and assembly (P/I/A). In addition, a sampling of collaborations involving these works is included. The overall NIST effort in P/I/A is composed of targeted programs conducted by the NIST laboratories and by the NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP). A dominant aspect of the laboratory-based P/I/A program focuses on the metrology and data needed to support the product technologies envisioned within industry roadmaps. A significant aspect of the work includes efforts in metrology, materials, complex material assemblies, and microelectronic components and circuits. In parallel, the NIST ATP is supporting on a cost-share basis a variety of industry-based development projects of high-risk enabling technologies for new or improved products, manufacturing, and processes in P/I/A.

With today's development and expansion of networks and internet-connected devices, information security is an issue of increasing concern. Confidentiality is one of the focuses in network security for digital communication systems, where large data blocks go through a cryptographic algorithm with a cipher key that increases the security and complexity of the output ciphertext. For the past several years, multiple security algorithms have been developed and utilized in the data encryption process, such as the Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES), and the current one, designated by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). AES is a symmetric encryption algorithm that has a minimum input data block size of 128-bits which undergo a series of permutations, substitutions, and digital logic operations over several rounds. Encryption algorithms are always improving on ciphertext complexity, required hardware storage allocation, and execution time. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA's) are a hardware alternative for encryption algorithm implementation because, although the logic units in it are fixed, the functions and interconnections between them are based on the user's design which allow for improvement. The research presented focuses on the development and analysis of an efficient AES-128 Mix Columns algorithm implementation, utilized in the data block encryption rounds, on an Altera Cyclone IV FPGA using the Intel Quartus II software and Verilog Hardware Description Language.

When using a symmetric encryption algorithm, specifically the AES, the Block Cipher Mode of Operation to be used must be specified. Usually choosing the mode of operation is influenced by two main factors: 1. Security; and the 2. Performance of the mode. Most of the related literature explores the security of the modes. In contrast, this research paper explores, compares and evaluates the performance of the five modes of operation recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A code using Crypto++ cryptographic library has been developed to benchmark the performance of these modes. Based on the conducted experiments and obtained results, the Counter mode of operation has been found generally superior to the other four modes of operation in terms of performance especially when increasing the input size.

On September 5–8, 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held the second Standards and Performance Metrics for On‐Road Automated Vehicles Workshop. This four‐day virtual event provided updates on NIST’s recent work in automated vehicles (AVs) and gave stakeholders an opportunity to provide feedback and input on current and future NIST research. The workshop included high‐level keynote presentations, a series of industry keynote presentations, and NIST presentations on its current AV activities. The industry keynotes and NIST presentations were paired with breakout sessions that discussed NIST’s progress, community challenges, and stakeholder research needs in six key areas: systems interaction, perception, cybersecurity, communications, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure. There was general agreement that developing standards allows for better comparisons and evaluations of emerging technologies. Other key themes included: 1) Digital technologies for automation and related security/privacy concerns, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and smart communication technologies (i.e., vehicle‐to‐vehicle (V2V), vehicle‐to‐infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle‐to‐everything (V2X)), 2) Need for standardized or common language to improve information sharing, 3) Open data sets to support and validate technical advances and standardization across system components and areas (i.e., standards evolving in parallel with technology), and 4) Pivotal role for NIST as a convener to bring diverse stakeholders together for knowledge exchange and cross‐industry dialogue.