Deterministic Random Bit Generators Based on Ascon for Embedded Systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces three new Ascon-based deterministic random bit generators optimized for embedded systems, demonstrating improved efficiency and lower memory usage on Raspberry Pi compared to existing solutions.

Contribution

It proposes three novel Ascon-driven DRBG constructions tailored for resource-limited embedded environments, revising standard approaches for enhanced performance and security.

Findings

Higher computational efficiency on Raspberry Pi

Lower memory usage than existing DRBGs

Suitable for resource-constrained embedded systems

Abstract

As the Deterministic Random Bit Generator (DRBG) serves as a fundamental component in random number generation and cryptographic applications, its performance and security are particularly critical in resource-constrained embedded systems, where memory capacity and computational efficiency are limited. Establishing a high-performance and secure DRBG is therefore an important issue for embedded system design. Furthermore, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) established the Ascon lightweight cryptographic standard in August 2025, which is suitable for use in resource-limited embedded environments. Therefore, this study revises the DRBG standard and proposes three Ascon-driven constructions: the Ascon-Driven Hash-Based DRBG, the Ascon-Driven keyed-Hash Message Authentication Code (HMAC) DRBG, and the Ascon-Driven Counter-mode (CTR) DRBG. In the experiments, these methods are implemented on a Raspberry Pi platform. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approaches achieve higher computational efficiency and lower memory usage compared with existing DRBG implementations, making them suitable for deployment in embedded systems.