They are a series of mathematical operations used in encryption. They are also considered to be a type of lightweight block ciphers
- Smaller footprint
- Less computationally expensive
- Less energy consumed
SP networks are used in encryption algorithms such as AES
flowchart LR
A["Input (Plain text)"] --> B["Round Key Addition"]
B["Round Key Addition"] --> C["Substitution"]
C["Substitution"] --> D["Permutation"]
D["Permutation"] --> E["Output (Encrypted Text)"]
- Round Key Addition - The round key is a secret key that is XORed with the plain text. It serves to add a layer of encryption. Each round has a round key
- Substitution - Here, the characters of the XORed text are substituted with different characters based on specific rules set in the S block
- Avalanche Effect - The output bit depends on the input bit. This is beneficial
- Permutation - Here, the characters are jumbled and reshuffled