ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
A company needs to meet compliance requirements that mandate encryption of all data in transit between EC2 instances in the same VPC. The instances are in different subnets and communicate using TCP port 443. Which solution should a network engineer implement?
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
✓
Configure the application to use TLS for communication.
Configuring the application to use TLS ensures end-to-end encryption of data in transit between EC2 instances, meeting the compliance requirement. Option B is incorrect because VPC Flow Logs only capture metadata about traffic (e.g., IP addresses, ports, protocols) and do not encrypt the data itself. Option C is incorrect because AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) provisions certificates but does not automatically encrypt traffic; the application must use those certificates within a TLS configuration. Option D is incorrect because deploying a VPN connection between instances within the same VPC adds unnecessary complexity and does not automatically encrypt application-layer traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure the application to use TLS for communication.
Why this is correct
This ensures encryption in transit as required.
- ✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs to monitor for unencrypted traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Flow Logs do not encrypt traffic; they only log metadata.
- ✗
Use AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) to provision certificates and enable encryption automatically.
Why it's wrong here
ACM provisions certificates but does not automatically encrypt traffic; application must use TLS.
- ✗
Deploy a VPN connection between the instances.
Why it's wrong here
Overkill for same-VPC traffic; adds complexity.
Visual reference
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This ANS-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 ANS-C01 exam.