The correct answer is that no additional configuration is needed because VPC peering traffic is automatically encrypted. This encryption occurs at the physical and network layers within the AWS infrastructure, using a transit encryption mechanism that secures all data in transit between peered VPCs in the same region without requiring VPNs, IPsec, or any manual setup. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of AWS’s shared responsibility model and the default security of the AWS backbone—a common trap is assuming you must add encryption like IPsec or TLS, when in fact the underlying network layer already provides confidentiality. Remember that VPC peering is a one-to-one relationship using AWS’s private global network, so traffic never traverses the public internet and is inherently encrypted. Memory tip: “Peering is private, encryption is provided—no VPN required.”
ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. 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 is deploying a critical application on AWS and needs to ensure that traffic between two VPCs in the same region is encrypted in transit. The VPCs are connected via a VPC peering connection. What should the network engineer do to meet the encryption requirement?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
No additional configuration is needed; VPC peering traffic is automatically encrypted.
VPC peering traffic within the same region is automatically encrypted at the physical layer using AWS's infrastructure, and no additional configuration is required. AWS uses a transit encryption mechanism that encrypts all traffic between VPC peering connections at the network layer, ensuring data confidentiality in transit without the need for VPN or IPsec configurations.
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.
✓
No additional configuration is needed; VPC peering traffic is automatically encrypted.
Configure IPsec on the EC2 instances to encrypt traffic over the VPC peering connection.
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering is not a VPN connection; IPsec would require additional routing.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume VPC peering traffic is unencrypted by default and reach for VPN or IPsec solutions, but AWS automatically encrypts all traffic within the same region over VPC peering connections.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS encrypts inter-VPC traffic over VPC peering connections using a combination of MACsec (IEEE 802.1AE) at the physical layer and other AWS internal encryption mechanisms, ensuring data is protected in transit without user intervention. This encryption is transparent to the instances and operates at the network infrastructure level, meaning no additional configuration or performance impact is incurred. In a real-world scenario, this simplifies compliance with encryption requirements for regulated workloads, as the encryption is inherent and auditable via AWS CloudTrail and VPC Flow Logs.
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
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: No additional configuration is needed; VPC peering traffic is automatically encrypted. — VPC peering traffic within the same region is automatically encrypted at the physical layer using AWS's infrastructure, and no additional configuration is required. AWS uses a transit encryption mechanism that encrypts all traffic between VPC peering connections at the network layer, ensuring data confidentiality in transit without the need for VPN or IPsec configurations.
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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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.
Question Discussion
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