ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is using AWS Direct Connect to connect its on-premises network to AWS. The company wants to encrypt all traffic between its on-premises network and AWS. Which solution meets this requirement?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use a private VIF and establish an IPsec VPN tunnel over the Direct Connect connection.
Option B is correct because AWS Direct Connect does not natively encrypt traffic; it provides a private, dedicated network connection. To meet the encryption requirement, you can establish an IPsecVPN tunnel over the private VIF, which encrypts all traffic between the on-premises network and the VPC. This approach combines the low latency and reliability of Direct Connect with the security of IPsec encryption.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use a public virtual interface (VIF) and route traffic through a NAT gateway.
Why it's wrong here
Public VIF does not encrypt traffic.
✓
Use a private VIF and establish an IPsec VPN tunnel over the Direct Connect connection.
Why this is correct
IPsec provides encryption over the Direct Connect link.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a private virtual interface (VIF) and enable encryption on the Direct Connect connection.
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect does not provide encryption inherently.
✗
Use a private VIF and enable TLS on all applications.
Why it's wrong here
TLS is application-layer, not network-layer encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume Direct Connect inherently encrypts traffic because it is a private connection, but AWS explicitly states that Direct Connect does not provide encryption, so an overlay like IPsec is required.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
An IPsecVPN over a private VIF uses the Direct Connect link as the transport medium, encapsulating IP packets in ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload) with encryption algorithms like AES-256. This setup requires a virtual private gateway or transit gateway on the AWS side and a compatible VPN device on-premises, with IKEv2 for key exchange. In real-world scenarios, this hybrid approach is used to meet compliance mandates (e.g., PCI DSS) while benefiting from Direct Connect's consistent bandwidth and lower latency compared to internet-based VPNs.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Network Security, Compliance and Governance — This question tests Network Security, Compliance and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use a private VIF and establish an IPsec VPN tunnel over the Direct Connect connection. — Option B is correct because AWS Direct Connect does not natively encrypt traffic; it provides a private, dedicated network connection. To meet the encryption requirement, you can establish an IPsec VPN tunnel over the private VIF, which encrypts all traffic between the on-premises network and the VPC. This approach combines the low latency and reliability of Direct Connect with the security of IPsec encryption.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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