This is possible by designing a simplified round function or reducing the function's number of iterations. On the other hand, keystream generation should follow a dynamic approach in which the generator relies on regularly updating the set of security parameters to provide random properties for higher immunity against cryptanalysis and statistical attacks.  
Even the most modern static-based lightweight ciphers require at least 6-18 cycles, requiring a substantial number of rounds [16; 17]. In this study, we address the problems of operation complexity, encryption time and resource utilisation of existing stream ciphers. Stream ciphers that are designed to support low-resource computation devices usually either suffer from performance issues or are subjected to different cryptanalysis attacks. Hence, we present an alternative dynamic stream cipher to minimise complex operations, thus reducing the encryption time while preserving the requisite security level. In our method, each plaintext message is encrypted using a distinct set of cryptographic attributes. The keystream is formed by performing a set of mathematical operations in a single iteration. Upon generating one keystream block, all attributes are updated to generate a new keystream for a new encryption process.  
Our proposed stream cipher (Strike) is novel, as it is the first stream cipher inspired by natural stochastic lightning strike phenomena. The novelty lies in the ability of designing fast encryption algorithm that is secure and less complex to work on computing devices with limited resources. The keys and parameters used in the model are extracted and calculated using mathematical models that express the behaviour of lightning strikes at different points in the given space. The strike starts randomly from a point \(x\) in a given space and hits another random point \(y\) on the ground. The behaviour of the strike is considered random and unpredictable, as a given strike is affected by several factors in addition to its start and end points in a large space; these factors include voltage, number of jumps, the distance of jumps and direction. In addition, Strike is considered feasible as it includes straightforward update procedures for the cryptographic attributes, reducing the computational complexity. As for error tolerance, Strike is resistant to channel failure since a bit error in one key affects only the corresponding byte of the encrypted message.  
Our main contributions lie in presenting a high-performance, secure stream cipher. As for security, our design depends on the novel idea of utilising the stochastic behaviour of lightning strikes, which is proven mathematically [18]. On the one hand, the strike parameters are used as secure cryptographic primitives that are selected and updated randomly. The number of iterations is minimised to speed up keystream generation. Given that our cipher generates 16 bits of keystream in each round, it is usable in many resource-constrained devices and real-world applications.  
The remaining sections of the paper are organised as follows: in Section 2, a background on stream ciphers and lightning strike phenomena is presented. Section 3 discusses the main issues related to existing stream ciphers. The main components of the Strike stream cipher are presented in Section 4. In Section 5, we conduct a security analysis by comparing the proposed cipher to the required cryptographic features. The efficiency of Strike is demonstrated in Section 6. Finally, Section 7 concludes the paper. However, the Abbreviations presents a list of abbreviations that appear in this document.