Securing Edge Computing Environments with a Novel Chaos Theory-Based Lightweight Encryption Algorithm for Real-Time Data Protection

In the era of edge computing, securing data transmission has become paramount, especially given the real-time requirements and limited computational resources of edge devices. This study introduces a novel Chaos Theory-Based Lightweight Encryption Algorithm (CTBLEA) designed to enhance data protection in edge computing environments. The proposed algorithm leverages the inherent unpredictability of chaotic maps to secure data streams without imposing significant computational burdens. By adopting a lightweight encryption mechanism, CTBLEA ensures minimal latency and energy consumption, making it ideal for resource-constrained edge devices. Extensive experiments were conducted to evaluate the algorithm's performance. CTBLEA achieved an encryption and decryption time of 0.25 ms per kilobyte, showing a 35% reduction in latency compared to traditional AES encryption in similar environments. Furthermore, the algorithm demonstrated an energy consumption reduction of 40% while maintaining high security standards with an average key space of 10^l5, making brute-force attacks infeasible. Security tests showed a correlation coefficient close to zero (0.003) between the original and encrypted data, indicating high randomness and minimal data correlation. Additionally, the algorithm's resistance to statistical and differential attacks was validated, with a 99.7% randomness score from the NIST suite tests. These results confirm the potential of CTBLEA for safeguarding real-time data in edge computing, offering a secure, efficient solution for next-generation loT and edge environments.