220-1102 Practice Question: Allow external contractors to access a specific…

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

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  VPN with a client

  Why it's wrong here

  A Virtual Private Network (VPN) with a client requires the installation of specific software on each contractor's device to establish a secure, encrypted tunnel to the company's internal network. This client software manages the connection, authentication, and encryption protocols, allowing the remote device to appear as if it's directly connected to the internal LAN. However, the company explicitly wants to avoid any client software installation, making this solution unsuitable for providing external access to web applications without additional setup.

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  Remote Desktop Protocol

  Why it's wrong here

  Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) enables a user to connect to and control a remote computer's graphical user interface over a network. While widely used for remote administration and accessing full desktop environments, it necessitates a dedicated RDP client application on the contractor's device to initiate and maintain the connection. Furthermore, RDP provides access to an entire desktop, which is generally overkill and less secure for merely accessing specific web applications, and it violates the requirement to avoid client software.

• ✓

  Reverse proxy

  Why this is correct

  A reverse proxy acts as an intermediary server that sits in front of one or more web servers, forwarding client requests to the appropriate backend server and returning the server's response to the client. For external contractors, this means they can access internal web applications simply by using a standard web browser, as the reverse proxy handles the routing, security, and potentially SSL termination without requiring any special client software or configuration on their devices. This method centralizes access control and enhances security by shielding internal servers from direct internet exposure.

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  SSH

  Why it's wrong here

  Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network, primarily used for remote command-line interface (CLI) access, remote command execution, and secure file transfers. It requires an SSH client application on the contractor's device to establish the encrypted connection to an SSH server. Crucially, SSH is designed for shell access and secure tunneling, not for directly presenting web applications through a standard browser, making it an inappropriate solution for the stated goal of accessing web applications without client software.

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