easyMultiple Choice
SSCP Practice Question: Refer to the exhibit
Exhibit
Router# show ip nat translations Pro Inside global Inside local Outside local Outside global tcp 203.0.113.10:80 192.168.1.10:80 198.51.100.20:80 198.51.100.20:80 tcp 203.0.113.10:443 192.168.1.10:443 198.51.100.20:443 198.51.100.20:443 tcp 203.0.113.11:80 192.168.1.11:80 198.51.100.30:80 198.51.100.30:80
Refer to the exhibit. A security analyst notices that multiple internal hosts are using the same inside global IP address but different port numbers. Which technology is being used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse PAT with Dynamic NAT, not realizing that Dynamic NAT requires a pool of public IPs and does not allow port-level multiplexing, whereas PAT is specifically designed to allow many-to-one address sharing using port differentiation.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
PAT (Port Address Translation)
The scenario describes multiple internal hosts sharing a single inside global IP address but using different port numbers. This is the defining behavior of Port Address Translation (PAT), also known as NAT overload. PAT maps multiple private IP addresses to one public IP by differentiating sessions based on the transport-layer port number (TCP/UDP), allowing many hosts to share a single public address.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Dynamic NAT
Why it's wrong here
Dynamic NAT maps each inside local address to a distinct inside global address from a pool, so hosts never share one address. The exhibit shows many-to-one translation distinguished by port numbers, which is PAT (NAT overload). Dynamic NAT would be correct when a pool of public addresses is rotated among internal hosts without port multiplexing.
- ✗
Static NAT
Why it's wrong here
Static NAT creates a fixed one-to-one mapping between a single inside local address and a single inside global address, so no sharing occurs and port numbers are irrelevant. The exhibit's many-to-one translation with distinct ports is PAT. Static NAT is correct when an internal server must be reachable at a permanent, predictable public address.
- ✓
PAT (Port Address Translation)
Why this is correct
PAT maps many inside private addresses to one inside global address, differentiating sessions by translating source port numbers. The shared global IP with distinct ports in the exhibit is the defining signature of port address translation, satisfying the constraint of conserving public IPv4 addresses.
- ✗
Port forwarding
Why it's wrong here
Port forwarding maps one inbound port on a public address to one internal host's port, typically for publishing a service; it does not translate outbound sessions from many hosts onto a single address. The exhibit's many-to-one outbound translation with distinct source ports is PAT. Port forwarding suits inbound access to a specific internal server.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SSCP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SSCP exam.