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Development of a Secure Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (TDESA) Using a Key-Dependent Double XOR Transformation
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Computer Engineering and Security
Abstract
The rapid expansion of digital communication infrastructure has intensified the demand for encryption algorithms that are simultaneously efficient and resistant to modern cryptanalytic techniques. Conventional symmetric cryptographic systems, including the Data Encryption Standard (DES) and its triple-application successor (3DES), continue to face challenges related to computational overhead and diminishing resistance against brute-force and statistical attacks as computing power increases. This study presents an improved Secure Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (TDESA) that embeds a key-dependent double transformation layer, comprising a bitwise Exclusive-OR (XOR) operation followed by a key-controlled cyclic rotation and a second XOR operation, between two full encryption stages. Unlike a naive double-XOR construction, in which two successive XOR operations with fixed keys collapse algebraically into a single XOR and therefore add no security, the rotation-dependent design proposed here breaks this linearity and ensures that the intermediate transformation cannot be reduced to an equivalent single-key operation. The mathematical structure, algorithmic procedure, and system architecture of the proposed model are presented in detail, together with a security justification of the redesigned transformation layer. The algorithm was implemented and evaluated in MATLAB R2023b using plaintext samples of 1 KB, 10 KB, 100 KB, 500 KB, and 1 MB, with encryption time, decryption time, memory utilisation, and avalanche effect measured against DES, 3DES, and AES-128 baselines. Results indicate that the proposed TDESA achieves an average encryption time of approximately 34.0 milliseconds for a 1 MB file, positioning it between AES-128 (29.1 ms) and 3DES (60.2 ms), while exhibiting an avalanche effect of approximately 51.2 percent, comparable to AES. The proposed model is suitable for secure communication systems, cloud computing environments, and resource-constrained Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications where a balance between confidentiality strength and computational economy is required.
Keywords
symmetric cryptography; triple data encryption standard; key-dependent xor transformation; cyclic rotation; cryptographic diffusion; internet of things security.
How to cite this paper
@article{1722723,
author = {S. F. Ilo, Nnamdi H. I., Nwanebu O. T.},
title = {Development of a Secure Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (TDESA) Using a Key-Dependent Double XOR Transformation},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {2},
pages = {3601-3612},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1722723.pdf},
abstract = {The rapid expansion of digital communication infrastructure has intensified the demand for encryption algorithms that are simultaneously efficient and resistant to modern cryptanalytic techniques. Conventional symmetric cryptographic systems, including the Data Encryption Standard (DES) and its triple-application successor (3DES), continue to face challenges related to computational overhead and diminishing resistance against brute-force and statistical attacks as computing power increases. This study presents an improved Secure Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (TDESA) that embeds a key-dependent double transformation layer, comprising a bitwise Exclusive-OR (XOR) operation followed by a key-controlled cyclic rotation and a second XOR operation, between two full encryption stages. Unlike a naive double-XOR construction, in which two successive XOR operations with fixed keys collapse algebraically into a single XOR and therefore add no security, the rotation-dependent design proposed here breaks this linearity and ensures that the intermediate transformation cannot be reduced to an equivalent single-key operation. The mathematical structure, algorithmic procedure, and system architecture of the proposed model are presented in detail, together with a security justification of the redesigned transformation layer. The algorithm was implemented and evaluated in MATLAB R2023b using plaintext samples of 1 KB, 10 KB, 100 KB, 500 KB, and 1 MB, with encryption time, decryption time, memory utilisation, and avalanche effect measured against DES, 3DES, and AES-128 baselines. Results indicate that the proposed TDESA achieves an average encryption time of approximately 34.0 milliseconds for a 1 MB file, positioning it between AES-128 (29.1 ms) and 3DES (60.2 ms), while exhibiting an avalanche effect of approximately 51.2 percent, comparable to AES. The proposed model is suitable for secure communication systems, cloud computing environments, and resource-constrained Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications where a balance between confidentiality strength and computational economy is required.},
keywords = {symmetric cryptography; triple data encryption standard; key-dependent xor transformation; cyclic rotation; cryptographic diffusion; internet of things security.},
month = {August},
}