Question 1,002 of 1,663
DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company has an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance that needs to be accessed by an application running on an Amazon EC2 instance. Both resources are in the same VPC. The security team insists that all traffic between the application and the database be encrypted in transit. Which configuration ensures this?
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
✓
Enable SSL/TLS on the RDS instance and configure the application to connect using SSL.
Enabling SSL/TLS on the RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance and configuring the application to connect using SSL ensures encryption in transit. Option A is incorrect because security group rules control access (firewall), not encryption. Option B is incorrect because a Site-to-Site VPN is used for on-premises to VPC connectivity, not for same-VPC communication. Option D is incorrect because VPC peering is for connecting separate VPCs, and both resources are already in the same VPC.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add a security group rule that allows traffic only from the EC2 instance's private IP.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups do not encrypt traffic; they only filter it.
- ✗
Create an AWS Site-to-Site VPN connection between the EC2 instance and the RDS instance.
Why it's wrong here
A VPN is unnecessary for same-VPC traffic and adds complexity.
- ✓
Enable SSL/TLS on the RDS instance and configure the application to connect using SSL.
Why this is correct
SSL/TLS encrypts the database connection.
- ✗
Set up VPC peering between the EC2 instance's VPC and the RDS instance's VPC.
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering does not encrypt traffic by default.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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