ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
A company uses AWS Direct Connect to connect its on-premises network to AWS. The security team wants to encrypt all traffic traversing the Direct Connect link. Which solution should be used?
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
✓
Establish an IPsec VPN tunnel over the Direct Connect link
An IPsec VPN tunnel over Direct Connect encrypts all traffic traversing the link, providing encryption while maintaining low latency. Option A is wrong because Direct Connect does not natively encrypt data; encryption must be added separately. Option B is wrong because TLS only protects application-layer traffic, not all traffic at the network level. Option D is wrong because VPC endpoints only protect traffic to specific AWS services, not all traffic across the Direct Connect link.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable encryption on the Direct Connect virtual interface
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect does not support encryption at the virtual interface level.
- ✗
Use TLS on all applications that communicate across the link
Why it's wrong here
Does not encrypt all IP traffic; only application-specific.
- ✓
Establish an IPsec VPN tunnel over the Direct Connect link
Why this is correct
Provides encryption for all traffic over the link.
- ✗
Use VPC endpoints for all AWS services accessed
Why it's wrong here
Does not encrypt traffic between on-prem and AWS.
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.