ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
A company uses AWS Direct Connect to connect its on-premises data center to AWS. The network team wants to ensure that traffic between the on-premises network and AWS is encrypted. Which solution meets this requirement?
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 connection using a public VIF or transit VIF.
Direct Connect does not provide encryption by default. To encrypt traffic between on-premises and AWS over a Direct Connect connection, you can establish an IPSec VPN tunnel over a public VIF or transit VIF. This encrypts the traffic while still using the Direct Connect link. Option A is correct. Option B (VPC peering) is not applicable to on-premises networks. Option C (private VIF) does not provide encryption. Option D (IPSec VPN over the internet) does not use Direct Connect and does not meet the requirement to use Direct Connect.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Establish an IPSec VPN tunnel over the Direct Connect connection using a public VIF or transit VIF.
Why this is correct
This encrypts traffic while using Direct Connect's low latency.
- ✗
Establish a VPC peering connection between the on-premises network and the VPC.
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering is for VPC-to-VPC, not for on-premises.
- ✗
Use a private virtual interface (VIF) over Direct Connect.
Why it's wrong here
Private VIF does not encrypt traffic.
- ✗
Use an IPSec VPN connection over the internet.
Why it's wrong here
This does not use Direct Connect and traffic goes over public internet.
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.