Quick Answer
The correct choice is to use AWS Site-to-Site VPN with IPsec tunnels, because the service natively establishes encrypted tunnels between the on-premises VPN device and the AWS virtual private gateway or transit gateway, ensuring all traffic in transit is protected by IPsec encryption. This configuration meets the requirement by leveraging the standard IPsec protocol suite, which authenticates and encrypts each IP packet in a VPN session, providing confidentiality and integrity for data crossing the public internet. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of when native encryption is provided versus when it must be added separately—a common trap is confusing Direct Connect or VPC peering, which do not encrypt traffic by default, with the built-in IPsec of Site-to-Site VPN. Remember the memory tip: “VPN equals IPsec encryption; Direct Connect and peering are unencrypted by default.”
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 security engineer is designing a hybrid network with an AWS Site-to-Site VPN. The company requires that all traffic between the on-premises network and VPC be encrypted in transit. Which configuration ensures this requirement is met?
Use VPC peering instead of VPN
Why wrong: VPC peering does not encrypt traffic.
Use AWS Direct Connect with MACsec
Why wrong: MACsec provides encryption but Direct Connect is not required; VPN is simpler.
Deploy a Transit Gateway with route tables
Why wrong: Transit Gateway does not encrypt traffic; it routes it.
Use AWS Site-to-Site VPN with IPsec tunnels
Site-to-Site VPN encrypts all traffic via IPsec.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use AWS Site-to-Site VPN with IPsec tunnels
Site-to-Site VPN uses IPsec tunnels to encrypt traffic. Option C is correct because the VPN connection inherently encrypts all traffic. Option A is wrong because VPC peering does not provide encryption. Option B is wrong because Direct Connect does not encrypt by default. Option D is wrong because Transit Gateway does not itself provide encryption.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Use VPC peering instead of VPN
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering does not encrypt traffic.
Use AWS Direct Connect with MACsec
Why it's wrong here
MACsec provides encryption but Direct Connect is not required; VPN is simpler.
Deploy a Transit Gateway with route tables
Why it's wrong here
Transit Gateway does not encrypt traffic; it routes it.
Use AWS Site-to-Site VPN with IPsec tunnels
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Network Security, Compliance and Governance — This question tests Network Security, Compliance and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Use AWS Site-to-Site VPN with IPsec tunnels — Site-to-Site VPN uses IPsec tunnels to encrypt traffic. Option C is correct because the VPN connection inherently encrypts all traffic. Option A is wrong because VPC peering does not provide encryption. Option B is wrong because Direct Connect does not encrypt by default. Option D is wrong because Transit Gateway does not itself provide encryption.
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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