What does 'IP masquerading' involve?

IP masquerading involves the process of concealing the internal IP addresses of devices on a private network by using a single public IP address. This technique allows multiple devices to share a single public IP when accessing external networks, such as the internet. Essentially, the masquerading device (often a router) translates the private IP addresses to the public IP address and vice versa for incoming traffic. This not only conserves the number of public IPs required but also adds a layer of security by obscuring the internal network structure.

The choice related to revealing original IP addresses is contrary to the very concept of IP masquerading, which aims to hide these addresses. Using multiple public IPs for different devices does not encapsulate the concept of masquerading, which relies on a single public IP for many private devices. Similarly, while increasing the number of available IP addresses may relate to networking concepts, it does not specifically describe the function or intent of IP masquerading.