SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
Which THREE factors should be considered when designing a VPC for a new application that must be compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume VPC endpoints alone satisfy encryption requirements, but PCI DSS demands encryption in transit (e.g., TLS or IPsec), not just network isolation.
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
✓
Encrypt traffic between VPCs using VPN or AWS PrivateLink.
PCI DSS Requirement 4.1 mandates that cardholder data transmitted across open, public networks must be encrypted. Using VPN (IPsec) or AWS PrivateLink ensures that traffic between VPCs is encrypted in transit, meeting this compliance requirement. This approach also avoids exposing data to the public internet.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Encrypt traffic between VPCs using VPN or AWS PrivateLink.
Why this is correct
Encryption of cardholder data in transit is required.
- ✗
Use VPC endpoints to keep traffic within the AWS network.
Why it's wrong here
VPC endpoints are a best practice but not a specific PCI DSS requirement.
- ✓
Implement network segmentation using subnets and security groups.
Why this is correct
PCI DSS requires segmentation to isolate cardholder data.
- ✗
Use a single Availability Zone to reduce complexity.
Why it's wrong here
PCI DSS does not require multi-AZ, but single AZ is not a design factor for security.
- ✓
Enable VPC Flow Logs to capture network traffic metadata.
Why this is correct
Logging and monitoring network traffic is required for PCI DSS.
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.
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SAP-C02 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 SAP-C02 exam.