Open Access

ARTICLE

Dynamic Session Key Allocation with Time-Indexed Ascon for Low-Latency Cloud-Edge-End Communication

Fang-Yie Leu¹, Kun-Lin Tsai^2,*, Li-Woei Chen³, Deng-Yao Yao², Jian-Fu Tsai², Ju-Wei Zhu², Guo-Wei Wang²

1 Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, 407224, Taiwan
2 Department of Electrical Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, 407224, Taiwan
3 Department of Computer and Information Sciences, R.O.C. Military Academy, Kaohsiung, 830208, Taiwan

* Corresponding Author: Kun-Lin Tsai. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Fortifying the Foundations: IoT Intrusion Detection Systems in Cloud-Edge-End Architecture)

Computers, Materials & Continua 2025, 85(1), 1937-1957. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2025.068486

Received 30 May 2025; Accepted 21 July 2025; Issue published 29 August 2025

Abstract

With the rapid development of Cloud-Edge-End (CEE) computing, the demand for secure and lightweight communication protocols is increasingly critical, particularly for latency-sensitive applications such as smart manufacturing, healthcare, and real-time monitoring. While traditional cryptographic schemes offer robust protection, they often impose excessive computational and energy overhead, rendering them unsuitable for use in resource-constrained edge and end devices. To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose a novel lightweight encryption framework, namely Dynamic Session Key Allocation with Time-Indexed Ascon (DSKA-TIA). Built upon the NIST-endorsed Ascon algorithm, the DSKA-TIA introduces a time-indexed session key generation mechanism that derives unique, ephemeral keys for each communication round. The scheme supports bidirectional key separation to isolate uplink and downlink data, thereby minimizing the risk of key reuse and compromise. Additionally, mutual authentication is integrated through nonce-based validation and one-time token exchanges, ensuring entity legitimacy and protection against impersonation and replay attacks. We validate the performance of DSKA-TIA through implementation on a resource-constrained microcontroller platform. Results show that our scheme achieves significantly lower latency and computational cost compared to baseline schemes such as AES and standard Ascon. Security analysis demonstrates high entropy in key generation, resistance to brute-force and replay attacks, and robustness against eavesdropping and key compromise. The protocol also exhibits resilience to quantum computing threats by relying on symmetric encryption principles and randomized key selection. Given its efficiency, scalability, and temporal security enhancements, DSKA-TIA is well-suited for real-time, secure communication in heterogeneous CEE environments. Future work will explore post-quantum extensions and deployment in domains such as smart agriculture and edge-based healthcare.

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Keywords

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