A Novel Method in Hybrid Encryption for Enhanced 5G Networks Security
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31185/wjes.Vol14.Iss1.762Keywords:
Encryption, Five Generation(5G), NISTAbstract
Encryption is one of the most important security methods in Fifth Generation (5G) networks, offering high speed and security to support enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), as well as Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC). Each algorithm (Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Data Encryption Standard (DES), ZUC, Synchronous Network-Oriented Word-oriented stream cipher, version 3G (Snow3G)) has distinct strengths and weaknesses in speed and security. Therefore, this research presents two new hybrid models: ZUC-AES (combining the speed of ZUC with the strength of AES) and SNOW3G-DES (combining the speed of SNOW3G with the strength of DES). The models were simulated in MATLAB for data up to 5,000,000 bits, the results simulating six algorithms in MATLAB showed an improvement in strength compared to conventional algorithms, with the p-value on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-22 test improving by approximately average 50% for ZUC-AES (0.4323) compared to ZUC alone (0.288). ZUC was found to be the fastest of all with time 0.85s to 1000000 bit, while the third model, ZUC-AES, achieved superior results compared to AES and DES, while closely matching Snow3G's performance. The study proposed integrating RSA into the system to encrypt keys for secure exchange and increase the strength of encryption.
References
S. K. Patel, S. B. Verma, B. K. Gupta, S. Singh, E. Naresh, and P. K. Pareek, "Advances in authentication and security protocols for 5G networks: a comprehensive survey," Discover Applied Sciences, vol. 7, no. 7, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07317-2
I. Sahni and A. Kaur, "A systematic literature review on 5G security," arXiv preprint arXiv:2212.03299, 2022.
A. Pradhan, S. Das, M. J. Piran, and Z. Han, "A survey on physical layer security of ultra/hyper reliable low latency communication in 5G and 6G networks: recent advancements, challenges, and future directions," IEEE Access, vol. 12, pp. 112320–112353, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3429285
E. A. Al-Maqtari and E. A. Al-Maqtari, "Performance evaluation for AES, Blowfish, DES, and 3DES cryptography algorithms," Partners Universal Innovative Research Publication, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 86–95, 2024.
M. Qasaimeh, R. S. Al-Qassas, and M. Ababneh, "Software design and experimental evaluation of a reduced AES for IoT applications," Future Internet, vol. 13, no. 11, pp. 1–21, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/fi13110273
A. Sidhu, "Analyzing modern cryptography techniques and reviewing their timeline," ResearchGate, pp. 1–10, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369013746_Analyzing
S. N. Tambe-Jagtap, "A survey of cryptographic algorithms in cybersecurity: From classical methods to quantum-resistant solutions," Shifra, vol. 2023, pp. 43–52, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.70470/SHIFRA/2023/006
Z. D. Team, "On the linear distinguishing attack against ZUC-256 stream cipher," Cryptology ePrint Archive, Report 2020/1046, pp. 1–8, 2020.
J. Molina-Gil, P. Caballero-Gil, C. Caballero-Gil, and A. Fúster-Sabater, "Analysis and implementation of the SNOW 3G generator used in 4G/LTE systems," Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol. 239, pp. 499–508, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01854-6_51
P. Ekdahl, T. Johansson, A. Maximov, and J. Yang, "A new SNOW stream cipher called SNOW-V," IACR Transactions on Symmetric Cryptology, vol. 2019, no. 3, pp. 1–42, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46586/tosc.v2019.i3.1-42
R. Khan, P. Kumar, D. N. K. Jayakody, and M. Liyanage, "A survey on security and privacy of 5G technologies: Potential solutions, recent advancements, and future directions," IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 196–248, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/COMST.2019.2933899
A. H. Awlla and S. M. A. Aziz, "Secure device to device communication for 5G network based on improved AES," Scientific Journal of Cihan University, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 57–67, 2021.
M. Dworkin, Recommendation for Block Cipher Modes of Operation: Galois/Counter Mode (GCM) and GMAC, NIST Special Publication 800-38D, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA, 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-38d
B. Sarkar, A. Saha, D. Dutta, G. De Sarkar, and K. Karmakar, "A survey on the advanced encryption standard (AES): A pillar of modern cryptography," International Journal of Computer Science and Mobile Computing, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 68–87, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47760/ijcsmc.2024.v13i04.008
R. Kumari, J. G. Pandey, and A. Karmakar, "An RTL implementation of the data encryption standard (DES)," arXiv preprint arXiv:2301.05530, pp. 1–10, 2023.
D. A. Silva, D. L. Oliveira, and G. C. Batista, "Design of DES encryption algorithm as bundled-data asynchronous pipeline using FPGA," Journal of Integrated Circuits and Systems, vol. 39, pp. 260–270, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17563/rbav.v39i3.1179
Data Encryption Standard (DES), FIPS PUB 46, Federal Information Processing Standards Publication, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA, 1993.
Z. H. Abdelwahab, T. A. Elgarf, and A. Zekry, "Approved algorithmic security enhancement of stream cipher for advanced mobile communications," Information Security Journal, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 341–365, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19393555.2020.1773584
S. Nandi, S. Krishnaswamy, and P. Mitra, "Recent results on some word oriented stream ciphers: SNOW 1.0, SNOW 2.0 and SNOW 3G," in Information Security and Privacy in the Digital World—Some Selected Topics, IntechOpen, London, UK, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.105848
R. M. Zaki and H. B. A. Wahab, "A novel SNOW3G-M algorithm and medical," International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 134–150, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v18i03.28013
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ali Ahmed Mustafa, Lujain Sabah Abdulla

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

