Address translation is the process of converting one memory address form into another so hardware can place or retrieve data correctly. A CPU, memory controller, or other subsystem may take a logical, physical, or controller-specific address and map it to the right location in RAM.
In cyber security, address translation matters because it helps enforce memory isolation. It is used by operating systems, hypervisors, and firmware to keep processes, guests, and privileged components separated. If translation logic is flawed or can be influenced, data may be read from or written to the wrong region, undermining protections such as sandboxing, virtualization, and firmware boundaries. Attackers may try to exploit translation bugs to access protected memory, while defenders rely on correct translation rules, hardware checks, and firmware updates to preserve trust in the platform.