Panther: A Sponge Based Lightweight Authenticated Encryption Scheme

In the modern era, lots of resource-constrained devices have exploded, creating security issues that conventional cryptographic primitives cannot solve. These devices are connected to an unsecured network such as internet. These lightweight devices not only have limited resources, but also lead to the demand for new lightweight cryptographic primitives with low cost, high performance, low cost of deployment, and effective security outcomes. After reviewing various encryption schemes, designs, and security details, this paper provides a secure cipher Panther, which performs both encryption and authentication using the best components. The design of the Panther is based on a sponge structure using Topelitz matrix and NLFSR (Non-Linear Feedback Shift Register) as the main linear and non-linear components, respectively. Security analysis shows that it is not affected by advanced cryptographic analysis proposed in recent cryptographic literature.