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Question 738 of 1,705

Network Security, Compliance and Governance →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is to modify the ALB listener to use HTTPS on port 443, create a new target group with HTTPS on port 443, install a valid SSL/TLS certificate on each EC2 instance, and update the EC2 security group to allow inbound HTTPS from the ALB security group. This solution works because end-to-end encryption between the ALB and EC2 instances requires terminating the TLS connection at the target, not just at the load balancer; by configuring the target group with HTTPS, you force the ALB to re-encrypt traffic using the instance’s certificate, ensuring all data in transit is protected. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of TLS termination modes and target group protocol choices—a common trap is assuming that an HTTPS listener alone encrypts traffic to the backend, when in fact the target group protocol must also be HTTPS. Remember the key distinction: the listener handles client-to-ALB encryption, while the target group protocol controls ALB-to-instance encryption. A useful memory tip is “listener for the front door, target group for the back hall”—both must be HTTPS to encrypt the full path.

ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question

This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 runs a web application on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB) across multiple Availability Zones. The application uses a MySQL database on an RDS instance in a private subnet. Security compliance requires that all traffic between the ALB and EC2 instances must be encrypted. The security team finds that the ALB currently sends traffic to the EC2 instances using HTTP on port 80. The EC2 security group allows inbound HTTP traffic from the ALB security group. The team needs to implement encryption with minimal changes and without disrupting the application. Which solution meets these requirements?

Question 1easymultiple choice

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A
Set up an AWS Client VPN endpoint and have the ALB send traffic through the VPN to the EC2 instances.
Why wrong: This is overly complex and not designed for ALB-to-instance encryption.
B
Deploy an internal ALB in front of the EC2 instances and configure it with an HTTPS listener. Route traffic from the public ALB to the internal ALB.
Why wrong: This adds complexity and still requires TLS termination on the internal ALB or EC2 instances.
C
Modify the ALB listener to use HTTPS on port 443. Create a new target group with protocol HTTPS on port 443. Install a valid SSL/TLS certificate on each EC2 instance. Update the EC2 security group to allow inbound HTTPS from the ALB security group.
This encrypts traffic between ALB and EC2 with minimal changes.
D
Replace the ALB with a Network Load Balancer (NLB) and use TLS listeners to the EC2 instances.
Why wrong: NLB does not terminate TLS; it just passes through encrypted traffic, requiring the instances to handle TLS.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Modify the ALB listener to use HTTPS on port 443. Create a new target group with protocol HTTPS on port 443. Install a valid SSL/TLS certificate on each EC2 instance. Update the EC2 security group to allow inbound HTTPS from the ALB security group.

Option C is correct because it directly modifies the existing ALB to use an HTTPS listener on port 443, creates a new target group with HTTPS on port 443, and requires installing a valid SSL/TLS certificate on each EC2 instance. This ensures all traffic between the ALB and EC2 instances is encrypted with TLS, meeting the security requirement with minimal changes and no disruption to the application. The EC2 security group update to allow inbound HTTPS from the ALB security group completes the configuration.

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.

✗
Set up an AWS Client VPN endpoint and have the ALB send traffic through the VPN to the EC2 instances.
Why it's wrong here
This is overly complex and not designed for ALB-to-instance encryption.
✗
Deploy an internal ALB in front of the EC2 instances and configure it with an HTTPS listener. Route traffic from the public ALB to the internal ALB.
Why it's wrong here
This adds complexity and still requires TLS termination on the internal ALB or EC2 instances.
✓
Modify the ALB listener to use HTTPS on port 443. Create a new target group with protocol HTTPS on port 443. Install a valid SSL/TLS certificate on each EC2 instance. Update the EC2 security group to allow inbound HTTPS from the ALB security group.
Why this is correct
This encrypts traffic between ALB and EC2 with minimal changes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Replace the ALB with a Network Load Balancer (NLB) and use TLS listeners to the EC2 instances.
Why it's wrong here
NLB does not terminate TLS; it just passes through encrypted traffic, requiring the instances to handle TLS.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may think simply changing the ALB listener to HTTPS is enough, but they overlook the requirement to create a new target group with HTTPS protocol and install certificates on the EC2 instances to encrypt the traffic between the ALB and the instances, not just the client-to-ALB leg.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

When an ALB uses an HTTPS listener to a target group with protocol HTTPS, the ALB terminates the client-facing TLS connection and initiates a new TLS connection to the EC2 instances, ensuring end-to-end encryption. The EC2 instances must have a valid SSL/TLS certificate installed (e.g., from a public CA or ACM) and the web server configured to terminate TLS on port 443. The ALB's security group must allow outbound HTTPS to the EC2 instances, and the EC2 security group must allow inbound HTTPS from the ALB security group, which is a common pattern for compliance with standards like PCI DSS or HIPAA.

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

An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this ANS-C01 question test?

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: Modify the ALB listener to use HTTPS on port 443. Create a new target group with protocol HTTPS on port 443. Install a valid SSL/TLS certificate on each EC2 instance. Update the EC2 security group to allow inbound HTTPS from the ALB security group. — Option C is correct because it directly modifies the existing ALB to use an HTTPS listener on port 443, creates a new target group with HTTPS on port 443, and requires installing a valid SSL/TLS certificate on each EC2 instance. This ensures all traffic between the ALB and EC2 instances is encrypted with TLS, meeting the security requirement with minimal changes and no disruption to the application. The EC2 security group update to allow inbound HTTPS from the ALB security group completes the configuration.

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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