KCSA Platform Security Practice Question
An organization mandates that all traffic entering the service mesh must be decrypted at the ingress gateway, inspected by a Web Application Firewall (WAF), and then re-encrypted using mTLS before reaching backend pods. What is this architectural pattern called within service mesh security?
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
✓
TLS re-encryption (or edge termination with backend mTLS)
Re-encryption (or TLS origination/re-encryption) is the pattern where traffic is terminated at an edge proxy and then a new TLS connection is established to the internal backend service.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
HTTP plaintext tunneling
Why it's wrong here
Plaintext tunneling bypasses encryption, which violates security mandates.
- ✗
Pod security standard restriction
Why it's wrong here
Pod security standards restrict pod specifications, not TLS traffic bridging.
- ✗
DNS-based load balancing
Why it's wrong here
DNS load balancing distributes traffic by IP addresses without handling TLS bridging or re-encryption.
- ✓
TLS re-encryption (or edge termination with backend mTLS)
Why this is correct
TLS re-encryption terminates incoming TLS at the gateway and establishes a fresh secure mTLS connection to the backend.
About these practice questions
One of 319 original KCSA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official CNCF / Linux Foundation exam blueprint
This KCSA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF / Linux Foundation 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 KCSA exam.