What is NAT and how does it affect Network Security?
Note: The NAT router is accessible from the Internet and needs to be protected via a firewall or other means.! ! ! Every machine on the Internet is identified and located using a unique IP address. This allows returning data to be routed to the proper machine by its address. But, this straightforward system has since been enhanced in an important way known as Network Address Translation or NAT. In a NAT-based system, a single IP address represents the NAT router . . . behind which can lie an entire private network of machines. The machines on this private network (behind the NAT router) use IP addresses that have been set aside for just this purpose. They generally start with 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x. These address ranges are not used by regular machines on the Internet so that any machines on the private network can know that they’re talking amongst themselves. When one of the machines behind the NAT router needs to contact resources on the public Internet, the request is routed throug
