Chapter-15, LEC-3 | Port Forwarding | #education #cybersport #cybersecurity

Port forwarding is a technique used to allow external access to a device or service that is located behind a router or firewall. It is a method of forwarding incoming network traffic from a specific port on the router to a device or service on the network that is configured to receive that traffic.

For example, suppose a user has a web server running on a device located behind a router. In that case, the user can configure the router to forward incoming requests on port 80 (the default port used for HTTP web traffic) to the internal IP address of the web server. This allows users on the internet to access the web server by entering the public IP address of the router in a web browser.

Port forwarding is typically configured through the router's web-based interface or using command-line tools. The user needs to know the IP address of the device they want to forward traffic to and the specific port number used by the service or application they want to access. In addition, the user needs to specify which external port on the router should be used to forward traffic to the internal IP address and port number.

While port forwarding can be a useful technique for accessing services on a private network from the internet, it can also introduce security risks. Opening a port on a router can expose the device or service behind it to external attacks, so it is essential to configure port forwarding carefully and limit the exposure of the device or service to the internet. Users should only forward ports that are necessary and use secure protocols and strong authentication mechanisms to protect against unauthorized access.