- A
AWS Direct Connect without VPN
Why wrong: Not encrypted.
- B
AWS Transit Gateway
Why wrong: Central hub, not a connection type.
- C
AWS Direct Connect with an IPsec VPN
Dedicated, encrypted.
- D
AWS Site-to-Site VPN over the internet
Why wrong: Not dedicated.
Question 421 of 1,748
How to Establish a Dedicated Encrypted Connection to S3 Using Direct Connect with IPsec VPN
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of data protection. 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.
A company wants to protect data in transit between an on-premises data center and Amazon S3. Which AWS service should be used to establish a dedicated, encrypted connection?
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
✓
AWS Direct Connect with an IPsec VPN
AWS Direct Connect with IPsec VPN provides a dedicated private connection with encryption, ensuring data in transit is protected. Direct Connect alone (without VPN) is private but not encrypted by default; adding IPsec VPN over the Direct Connect link provides encryption. Option A is Direct Connect without VPN, which lacks encryption. Option B, AWS Transit Gateway, is a network transit hub, not a direct connection service. Option D, Site-to-Site VPN over the internet, uses the public internet and is not dedicated. Therefore, the correct answer is C.
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.
- ✗
AWS Direct Connect without VPN
Why it's wrong here
Not encrypted.
- ✗
AWS Transit Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Central hub, not a connection type.
- ✓
AWS Direct Connect with an IPsec VPN
Why this is correct
Dedicated, encrypted.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Site-to-Site VPN over the internet
Why it's wrong here
Not dedicated.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SCS-C02 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.
- →
Data Protection — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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Data Protection practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Data Protection — This question tests Data Protection — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Direct Connect with an IPsec VPN — AWS Direct Connect with IPsec VPN provides a dedicated private connection with encryption, ensuring data in transit is protected. Direct Connect alone (without VPN) is private but not encrypted by default; adding IPsec VPN over the Direct Connect link provides encryption. Option A is Direct Connect without VPN, which lacks encryption. Option B, AWS Transit Gateway, is a network transit hub, not a direct connection service. Option D, Site-to-Site VPN over the internet, uses the public internet and is not dedicated. Therefore, the correct answer is C.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SCS-C02 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 →
Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on SCS-C02
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. A company needs to encrypt data in transit between an on-premises data center and Amazon S3. Which solution should they use?
easy- A.Use AWS KMS to encrypt the data before transmission.
- B.Use an S3 VPC endpoint.
- ✓ C.Use HTTPS endpoints for S3 API calls.
- D.Use S3 Transfer Acceleration.
Why C: Option C is correct because HTTPS (HTTP over TLS) encrypts data in transit between the on-premises data center and Amazon S3 by using TLS 1.2/1.3 to secure the API calls. This ensures that all data transmitted over the network is encrypted end-to-end, protecting it from eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks. AWS S3 enforces HTTPS for all API requests when using the default endpoint, and customers can also configure bucket policies to deny HTTP requests.
Variation 2. A company wants to encrypt data in transit between an on-premises data center and AWS over a VPN connection. Which AWS service or feature should be used?
easy- A.AWS Route 53 Resolver
- B.AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
- ✓ C.AWS Site-to-Site VPN
- D.Amazon API Gateway
Why C: The correct answer is AWS Site-to-Site VPN (Option C). AWS Site-to-Site VPN creates encrypted tunnels between an on-premises data center and AWS, securing data in transit. Option A (AWS Route 53 Resolver) is a DNS resolution service and does not encrypt network traffic. Option B (AWS Certificate Manager, ACM) is used to provision and manage SSL/TLS certificates for applications, not for VPN encryption. Option D (Amazon API Gateway) is for creating and managing APIs, not for encrypting data in transit between sites.
Variation 3. A company needs to protect data in transit between an on-premises data center and AWS. Which THREE services can be used to encrypt data in transit?
easy- A.AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
- B.AWS Shield
- ✓ C.HTTPS
- ✓ D.AWS Site-to-Site VPN
- ✓ E.AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why C: The correct answers are C (HTTPS), D (AWS Site-to-Site VPN), and E (AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)). HTTPS encrypts web traffic using TLS. AWS Site-to-Site VPN creates an IPsec VPN tunnel to encrypt all traffic between on-premises and AWS. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) provisions and manages TLS certificates used to encrypt data in transit. Option A (AWS KMS) manages encryption keys for data at rest, not in transit. Option B (AWS Shield) protects against DDoS attacks, not data encryption.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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