The answer is the virtual private gateway (VGW), the customer gateway (CGW), and IPsec. These three components are necessary because the VGW serves as the AWS-side VPN endpoint attached to your VPC, the CGW represents the physical or software VPN device at your on-premises data center, and IPsec is the encryption protocol suite that secures the data in transit between them. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of the fundamental building blocks of a Site-to-Site VPN, often appearing as a straightforward concept check amid more complex hybrid networking scenarios. A common trap is confusing the internet gateway (used for public internet traffic) with the VGW, or mistaking SSL/TLS for the VPN encryption protocol—remember, IPsec is the standard for site-to-site tunnels, not SSL. For a quick memory tip, think of the VGW and CGW as the two endpoints of a secure tunnel, with IPsec as the lock on that tunnel.
ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Which THREE components are necessary to enable encryption in transit for traffic between an on-premises data center and an Amazon VPC over AWS Site-to-Site VPN? (Choose three.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A customer gateway (CGW) in the on-premises network
Options A, B, and E are correct. A virtual private gateway (VGW) is the AWS endpoint, a customer gateway (CGW) represents the on-premises device, and IPsec is the encryption protocol. Option C is wrong because an internet gateway is not used for VPN. Option D is wrong because the VPN connection uses a pre-shared key or certificates, not SSL/TLS.
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.
✓
A customer gateway (CGW) in the on-premises network
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 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.
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: A customer gateway (CGW) in the on-premises network — Options A, B, and E are correct. A virtual private gateway (VGW) is the AWS endpoint, a customer gateway (CGW) represents the on-premises device, and IPsec is the encryption protocol. Option C is wrong because an internet gateway is not used for VPN. Option D is wrong because the VPN connection uses a pre-shared key or certificates, not SSL/TLS.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which THREE components are required to establish a site-to-site VPN connection between an on-premises network and AWS? (Choose 3)
hard
✓ A.A VPN tunnel between the customer gateway and the virtual private gateway
B.A VPC endpoint for the VPN service
C.An AWS Direct Connect dedicated line
✓ D.A virtual private gateway (VGW) or transit gateway
✓ E.A customer gateway device
Why A: Options A, C, and D are correct: virtual private gateway (or transit gateway), customer gateway device, and VPN tunnel. Option B is wrong because Direct Connect is separate. Option E is wrong because VPC endpoint is for AWS services.
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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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