Network Address Translation (NAT)
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Network Address Translation (NAT)

Network address translation is a procedure by which the firewall can alter the data in packets to change the network address. This can serve several purposes:

* it allows a large number of internal hosts to connect to the Internet using a small number of IP addresses (thus conserving a limited resource)

* it can help enforce the firewall's control over outbound traffic since the internal host will need to obtain a valid address from the firewall before its connection to the Internet will work

* it prevents the true IP addresses from reaching the Internet; thus providing a small degree of additional security

* dynamic NAT can provide additional defence against incoming attacks since the attacker has to work within the time constraints of the current session.