Master Thesis Analysis and Benchmarking of Cryptographic Algorithms on Resource-Constrained Control Units

This thesis investigates the feasibility, performance, and trade‑offs of implementing cryptographic algorithms on resource‑constrained embedded platforms, specifically 16‑bit microcontrollers such as the RL78F14 and RL78F24. The research compares software, hardware, and post‑quantum approaches and addresses the growing need for secure communication in automotive and industrial systems under strict hardware limitations, while aligning with current cybersecurity standards.

During your thesis you will aim to answer critical questions regarding algorithm selection, performance bottlenecks, and integration strategies for secure communication in embedded systems. Your findings will provide actionable recommendations for developers and system architects, balancing security requirements with hardware limitations. Additionally, the work aligns with emerging standards like ISO 21434, ensuring relevance for automotive cybersecurity.

Software‑Based Cryptographic Algorithms

In relation to the Software‑Based Cryptographic Algorithms you will develop a comprehensive benchmarking framework to evaluate the performance of widely used cryptographic primitives (e.g., AES, SHA, ECC) implemented in software. The study will include proprietary libraries such as cycurlib‑4.x and open‑source alternatives like MbedTLS and tinyscrypt. You will analyze various compiler settings and optimization levels to understand their impact on execution time, memory footprint, and energy consumption.

Hardware‑Assisted Cryptography

Regarding Hardware‑Assisted Cryptography, you will integrate an external Hardware Security Module (HSM) with the RL78F24 evaluation board via standard communication interfaces (I²C/SPI) to explore hardware acceleration. You will compare the performance of hardware‑supported algorithms against software implementations using the same benchmarking framework. This section highlights trade‑offs between security, latency, and resource utilization when offloading cryptographic operations to dedicated hardware.

Post‑Quantum Cryptography (PQC)

In connection with Post‑Quantum Cryptography (PQC) as third major component of your work you will investigate the feasibility of implementing post‑quantum algorithms on low‑performance microcontrollers considering that traditional cryptographic schemes face potential vulnerabilities with the advent of quantum computing. Libraries such as PQClean are ported to the RL78F24 platform, and you will evaluate their performance to determine practicality in constrained environments.

Your profile

Education: Master studies in the field of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering or comparable

Experience and Knowledge: practical experience with security functions, security libs and 16‑bits microcontrollers; knowledge of C programming language

Personality and Working Practice: you exhibit analytical and critical thinking, a problem‑solving mindset, responsibility, self‑discipline, and strong communication for team collaboration, always maintaining project oversight

Languages: fluent in English

Start: according to prior agreement

Duration: 6 months

Requirement for this thesis is the enrollment at university. Please attach your CV, transcript of records, examination regulations and if indicated a valid work and residence permit.