International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering
Volume 7 · Issue 2 · April 2026 · pp. 140-153
Research Article · Peer Reviewed
Received: January 8, 2026 · Accepted: March 9, 2026 · Published: April 03, 2026
DOI: 10.26706/ijceae.7.2.20260303
Open Access · CC BY 4.0

A Hybrid RSA–ElGamal Framework for Secure End-to-End Communications in Resource-Constrained IoT Networks

Shivan Qasim Ameen1, Raghad Ghalib Saadallah Alsultan2*, Zozan Saadallah Hussain2, Zeina T. Abdul-Rahmman2
1Department of Computer, College of Science, Duhok University, Iraq.
2Department of Electrical Techniques, Mosul Polytechnic College, Northern Technical University, Mosul, Iraq.

*Corresponding author: raghad_alsultan@ntu.edu.iq
Download PDF Cite this article Certificate Volume 7 Issue 2

Abstract

This paper presents a hybrid RSA–ElGamal cryptographic framework designed to provide secure end-to-end communications in resource-constrained IoT networks. The proposed approach combines the strengths of RSA and ElGamal to improve confidentiality, key security, and communication reliability while accounting for the computational and memory limitations of IoT devices. The framework emphasizes lightweight yet robust encryption suitable for distributed IoT environments, supporting secure data exchange with reduced vulnerability to common communication threats. Performance considerations such as computational overhead, scalability, and applicability in constrained network conditions are also discussed, demonstrating the framework’s relevance for practical deployment in modern IoT systems.

Keywords

Hybrid Cryptography RSA ElGamal Internet of Things Secure IoT Communication Resource-Constrained Networks

References

  1. L. Da Xu, W. He, and S. Li, “Internet of Things in Industries: A Survey,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 2233–2243, Nov. 2014.
  2. H. G. Ayoub et al., “Efficient Real-Time Key Generation for IoT Using MultiDimensional Chaotic Maps,” International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 24–34, Mar. 2025.
  3. Azhar W. Talab, “Improving Communication Protocols Based on Crucial Data Transmission Security for IoT Techniques,” International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1–11, Mar. 2025.
  4. M. Chiang and T. Zhang, “Fog and IoT: An Overview of Research Opportunities,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 854–864, Dec. 2016.
  5. S. Sicari, A. Rizzardi, L. Grieco, and A. Coen-Porisini, “Security, Privacy and Trust in Internet of Things: The Road Ahead,” Computer Networks, vol. 76, pp. 146–164, Jan. 2015.
  6. A. Ukil, J. Sen, and S. Koilakonda, “Embedded Security for Internet of Things,” Proceedings of the National Conference on Parallel Computing Technologies, pp. 1–6, 2011.
  7. N. Koblitz and A. Menezes, “The State of Elliptic Curve Cryptography,” Designs, Codes and Cryptography, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 173–193, 2000.
  8. R. Roman, J. Lopez, and M. Mambo, “Mobile Edge Computing, Fog et al.: A Survey and Analysis of Security Threats and Challenges,” Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 78, pp. 680–698, Jan. 2018.
  9. Ibtisam Kareem Al-Dulaimi, “The Use of Cloud Computing to Process Big Data: An Applied Study of the Virtual Library at the University of Mosul,” International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 38–43, 2023.
  10. Sanjana Awachat and Ashwini Chahande, “A Secure Cloud Based Chatting Application with Hybrid Cryptography,” International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 42–45, Jun. 2021.
  11. D. Boneh and V. Shoup, A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography. Stanford University, 2020.
  12. T. R. Andel et al., “CryptoBench-IoT: A Benchmarking Platform for Cryptographic Algorithms in IoT,” Software: Practice and Experience, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 1051–1070, Apr. 2022.
  13. J. Granjal, E. Monteiro, and J. Sá Silva, “Security for the Internet of Things: A Survey of Existing Protocols and Open Research Issues,” IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 1294–1312, 2015.
  14. M. Conti, A. Dehghantanha, K. Franke, and S. Watson, “Internet of Things Security and Forensics: Challenges and Opportunities,” Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 78, pp. 544–546, Jan. 2018.
  15. A. Reyna et al., “On Blockchain and Its Integration with IoT: Challenges and Opportunities,” Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 88, pp. 173–190, Nov. 2018.
  16. Y. Qiu et al., “Lightweight Cryptography for Secure IoT: A Survey,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 1987–2005, Feb. 2023.
  17. M. Usman et al., “Efficient and Secure Lightweight Cryptography for IoT Devices,” IEEE Access, vol. 11, pp. 22145–22158, 2023.
  18. A. Singh and K. Chatterjee, “Secure IoT Communication Using Hybrid Encryption Schemes,” Computer Networks, vol. 235, p. 109874, 2023.
  19. H. Alasmary et al., “Energy-Efficient Secure Communication for IoT Networks,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 1450–1463, Jan. 2024.
  20. S. Ahmed and R. Buyya, “Edge–Cloud Security for IoT Communications: A Survey,” Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 148, pp. 234–250, 2024.
  21. M. Hassan et al., “QoS-Aware Secure Communication Framework for IoT Systems,” IEEE Access, vol. 12, pp. 40210–40225, 2024.
  22. J. Lin et al., “Post-Quantum Cryptography for IoT and Edge Computing,” IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 48–54, Jan. 2024.
  23. A. Alrawais et al., “Trust and Privacy in the Internet of Things: Recent Advances,” IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 75–104, 2024.
  24. F. Restuccia and T. Melodia, “Secure and Reliable IoT Communications: Recent Advances,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 7120–7135, Mar. 2024.
  25. M. Zhang et al., “Hybrid RSA–ElGamal Encryption for Secure IoT Communications,” IEEE Access, vol. 12, pp. 88750–88763, 2024.
  26. Oday Abdulhussein Abdaumran, “IoT-Enabled Real-Time Fault Monitoring in Overhead Power Lines Using ESP32 and Arduino Integrated Development,” International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 190–201, Aug. 2025.
  27. R. Khan et al., “Secure End-to-End IoT Communication Architectures: A Survey,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 310–329, Jan. 2025.
  28. Y. Li et al., “Adaptive Hybrid Cryptography for Edge-Assisted IoT Networks,” Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 154, pp. 12–25, 2025.
  29. S. Wang and X. Chen, “Communication-Centric Security Frameworks for Large-Scale IoT,” IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 88–94, Feb. 2026.
  30. A. Sharma, P. Kumar, and R. Mishra, “Lightweight ECC-Based Hybrid Encryption for Resource-Constrained IoT Networks,” International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 45–53, 2024.
  31. M. Fatima, S. Ahmed, and K. Reddy, “Post-Quantum Hybrid Cryptography for Secure IoT-Cloud Continuum,” International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 12–21, 2025.
  32. V. Patel, N. Desai, and S. Kaur, “Blockchain-Enhanced Security Framework for IoT-Fog Networks: A Performance Analysis,” International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 78–89, 2025.
  33. R. Kumar, A. Singh, and P. Gupta, “An Optimized RSA-ElGamal Hybrid Cryptosystem for Smart Healthcare IoT Applications,” International Journal of Computational and Electronic Aspects in Engineering, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 22–31, 2026.