DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company is migrating an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. The security team requires that all network traffic between the application servers and the database be encrypted using TLS. The application servers are in a different VPC connected via VPC Peering. What is the simplest way to enforce encryption in transit?
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 the rds.force_ssl parameter in the DB parameter group and configure the application to use SSL connections.
Enabling the rds.force_ssl parameter in the DB parameter group forces all connections to use SSL, satisfying the encryption-in-transit requirement. The application must be configured to connect using SSL with the appropriate certificate. Option A is wrong because changing the security group to port 443 does not enforce encryption; port 443 is for HTTPS, not for Oracle database traffic, and SSL is configured at the database level. Option C is wrong because the default parameter group does not enforce SSL; the rds.force_ssl parameter must be explicitly set. Option D is wrong because a VPN adds unnecessary complexity and does not directly enforce TLS encryption for database connections.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Modify the security group for the RDS instance to only allow traffic on port 443.
Why it's wrong here
Port 443 is for HTTPS, not Oracle database connections (default 1521).
- ✓
Enable the rds.force_ssl parameter in the DB parameter group and configure the application to use SSL connections.
Why this is correct
This enforces SSL at the database level, and the client can connect using SSL certificates.
- ✗
Use a default DB parameter group, as it already enforces SSL.
Why it's wrong here
Default parameter groups do not enforce SSL.
- ✗
Set up a VPN connection between the two VPCs and route all traffic through it.
Why it's wrong here
Setting up a VPN connection between the two VPCs is overly complex and redundant for this scenario, as VPC Peering already provides direct, private network connectivity. While VPNs do encrypt traffic in transit, the requirement specifies TLS encryption between the application servers and the RDS for Oracle database, which RDS supports natively. This option is tempting because VPNs are a standard method for establishing encrypted tunnels, and would be the correct choice for securing traffic between an on-premises network and an AWS VPC, or between VPCs that are not already peered.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DBS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services 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 DBS-C01 exam.