easyMultiple Choice
SSCP Practice Question: Ensure that employees connecting from home use a…
A company wants to ensure that employees connecting from home use a secure tunnel to access internal resources. Which protocol should be implemented?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the distinction between SSH (a secure remote administration tool) and SSL/TLS VPN (a full remote access VPN solution), leading candidates to mistakenly choose SSH because they know it provides encryption, without realizing it does not create a comprehensive network tunnel for all internal resource access.
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
✓
SSL/TLS VPN
An SSL/TLS VPN creates an encrypted tunnel over HTTPS (port 443) between the remote user's browser or client and the corporate VPN gateway, securing all traffic to internal resources. This is the standard solution for remote access VPNs because it uses ubiquitous SSL/TLS protocols, avoids the need for IPsec client software, and can traverse firewalls and NAT devices easily.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SFTP
Why it's wrong here
SFTP transfers files over SSH but does not create a tunnel for general access to internal resources such as applications or intranet services. It is tempting because it is secure and remote-friendly; it would be correct when the requirement is encrypted file transfer rather than remote network access.
- ✗
Telnet
Why it's wrong here
Telnet carries credentials and session data in cleartext and provides no tunnel or encryption, so it cannot secure remote access to internal resources. It is tempting as a legacy remote-terminal protocol for managing network devices on trusted LANs, where confidentiality is not required.
- ✗
SSH
Why it's wrong here
SSH provides an encrypted remote shell and can forward ports, but it does not deliver a full network-layer tunnel for accessing arbitrary internal resources as a VPN does. It is tempting because it is secure and widely available; it suits administrative command-line access to individual hosts.
- ✓
SSL/TLS VPN
Why this is correct
SSL/TLS VPN tunnels traffic over TCP 443, so remote employees reach internal resources through a secure encrypted session that traverses home networks and restrictive firewalls. It satisfies the requirement for a secure tunnel from home without exposing internal services directly.
Visual reference
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 SSCP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 SSCP exam.