Cellular Automata (CA) have been extensively used to implement symmetric cryptographic primitives, such as pseudorandom number generators and S-boxes. However, most of the research in this field, except the very early works, seems to be published in non-cryptographic venues. This phenomenon poses a problem of relevance: are CA of any use to cryptographers nowadays? This paper provides insights into this question by briefly outlining the history of CA-based cryptography. In doing so, the paper identifies some shortcomings in the research addressing the design of symmetric primitives exclusively from a CA standpoint, alongside some recommendations for future research. Notably, the paper remarks that researchers working in CA and cryptography often tackle similar problems, albeit under different perspectives and terminologies. This observation indicates that there is still ample room for fruitful collaborations between the CA and cryptography communities in the future.

翻译：蜂窝自动机（CA）已被广泛用于实现对称密码原语，如伪随机数生成器和S-box。然而，除早期工作外，该领域大多数研究似乎发表在非密码学刊物上。这一现象引发了相关性的疑问：蜂窝自动机对当今密码学家究竟有何价值？本文通过简要梳理基于CA的密码学发展历程，对此问题进行了深入探讨。在研究过程中，本文揭示了仅从CA视角设计对称密码原语时存在的若干不足，并提出了未来研究的建议。特别值得注意的是，本文指出从事CA与密码学研究的学者虽采用不同视角和术语体系，但时常解决相似问题。这一观察表明，未来CA与密码学领域之间仍有广阔的协同合作空间。