ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
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 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
✓
A customer gateway (CGW) in the on-premises network
The correct answers are A, D, and E. A customer gateway (CGW) represents the on-premises device, a virtual private gateway (VGW) is the AWS endpoint, and an IPsec VPN tunnel between them provides encryption in transit. Option B is wrong because an internet gateway is used for internet connectivity, not VPN. Option C is wrong because SSL/TLS is not used for Site-to-Site VPN; it uses IPsec with pre-shared keys or certificates.
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
Why this is correct
Represents the on-premises VPN device.
- ✗
An internet gateway (IGW) attached to the VPC
Why it's wrong here
An IGW is not used for VPN connections.
- ✗
An SSL/TLS certificate for the VPN tunnel
Why it's wrong here
Site-to-Site VPN uses IPsec, not SSL/TLS.
- ✓
A virtual private gateway (VGW) in the VPC
Why this is correct
Required as the AWS-side VPN endpoint.
- ✓
An IPsec VPN tunnel between the VGW and CGW
Why this is correct
IPsec provides encryption in transit.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on ANS-C01
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, D, E are correct. A site-to-site VPN requires a VPN tunnel between the on-premises customer gateway and the AWS virtual private gateway (or transit gateway). The customer gateway device (hardware or software) is deployed on-premises to terminate the VPN tunnel. Option B is incorrect because VPC endpoints are used for private access to AWS services, not for VPN connections. Option C is incorrect because AWS Direct Connect is a dedicated physical connection, not a requirement for a VPN connection.
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.