When any network picks up a permanent IP address, it's like dangling a shiny lure in front of Internet sharks. They attack a permanent address because it's an easy target. It's true of both multinational corporations and small offices with cable or DSL modems.
Hiding is the easiest and least expensive defense against intrusion attacks.
A NAT device translates between safe addresses on the LAN and its own permanent address. If your resources are big or inviting, trouble is destined to find you. To keep trouble out, you need a firewall. They use several techniques to identify, check and filter packets going into and out of a network. You can use the products we tested as a single combined router and firewall.