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200-901 Practice Question: A company uses Cisco Meraki APs and an internal…
A company uses Cisco Meraki APs and an internal web application hosted on AWS. The application store customer payment data. The security team discovers that sensitive application logs are being transmitted in plaintext over the network to the SIEM. The DevOps team wants to improve security without changing the application code because it is proprietary and cannot be modified. Which solution should be recommended?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between application-layer encryption (e.g., TLS/HTTPS) and network-layer encryption (e.g., VPN), leading candidates to mistakenly choose options that encrypt the wrong traffic or require code changes, when the correct answer is a network-level solution that secures all traffic without modifying the application.
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
✓
Set up a site-to-site VPN between the Meraki network and AWS to encrypt all traffic, including logs
A site-to-site VPN between the Meraki network and AWS encrypts all traffic traversing the link, including the sensitive application logs sent to the SIEM, without requiring any changes to the proprietary application code. This solution operates at the network layer, ensuring that even if the application transmits logs in plaintext, the entire payload is encrypted by the VPN tunnel. Meraki Auto VPN and AWS VPN Gateway can establish an IPsec tunnel, providing confidentiality for all data in transit between the on-premises network and the AWS VPC.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Modify the application to send logs via syslog over TLS
Why it's wrong here
The application code cannot be changed.
- ✗
Enable HTTPS on the SIEM receiver to ensure logs are encrypted during transmission
Why it's wrong here
HTTPS only ensures encryption if the sender supports it; the application sends plaintext logs.
- ✗
Enable TLS on the web application to encrypt data in transit
Why it's wrong here
TLS only protects web traffic, not log export to SIEM.
- ✓
Set up a site-to-site VPN between the Meraki network and AWS to encrypt all traffic, including logs
Why this is correct
VPN encrypts all traffic between networks without modifying applications.
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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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-901 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco 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 200-901 exam.