NAT (Network Address Translation)

Network Address Translation modifies the source or destination IP address (and often port) of packets crossing a boundary, most commonly to let multiple devices share a smaller pool of public addresses. NAT is ubiquitous in IPv4 networks; CGNAT extends it to carrier-grade scale. NAT complicates end-to-end addressability and complicates lawful interception and abuse attribution.

Categories: Radio Access NetworkThreats and AttacksOperations and Business

NAT in context

The radio access network is where mobile devices attach to the operator's infrastructure. Attacks in this layer include IMSI catching, rogue base stations and downgrade attacks; defenses rest on mutual authentication, integrity-protected signaling and Open RAN supply-chain hygiene.

Telecom threats range from opportunistic SMS phishing and SIM swap to nation-state grade location tracking. The common thread is that most attacks exploit the inherited trust model of legacy signaling protocols.

To place NAT in the wider telecom-security picture, review Transcoding, A5/0, AMPS, Backhaul, Billing System and BSS — each entry cross-references back to this page so you can walk the topic in either direction.

Related terms

More from the TelcoSec Glossary

Browse the full TelcoSec Glossary, the Ultimate Guide to Mobile Network Security, or the P1 Arsenal of telecom-security tools.