This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of network and communications security. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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.
An organization wants to allow secure remote access for employees. Which protocol is most appropriate for a site-to-site VPN?
PPTP
Why wrong: PPTP is insecure and deprecated.
SSL/TLS
Why wrong: SSL/TLS is more common for remote access VPNs, not site-to-site.
IPsec
IPsec provides strong encryption and authentication for site-to-site VPNs.
SSH
Why wrong: SSH is for terminal access, not VPNs.
L2TP
Why wrong: L2TP alone does not encrypt; it is often combined with IPsec.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
IPsec
IPsec is the correct choice for a site-to-site VPN because it operates at the network layer (Layer 3), providing encryption and authentication for all IP traffic between two entire networks. It supports both tunnel and transport modes, and uses protocols like ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload) and AH (Authentication Header) to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and origin authentication, making it the standard for permanent site-to-site connections.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
PPTP
Why it's wrong here
PPTP is insecure and deprecated.
SSL/TLS
Why it's wrong here
SSL/TLS is more common for remote access VPNs, not site-to-site.
IPsec
Why this is correct
IPsec provides strong encryption and authentication for site-to-site VPNs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
SSH
Why it's wrong here
SSH is for terminal access, not VPNs.
L2TP
Why it's wrong here
L2TP alone does not encrypt; it is often combined with IPsec.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SSL/TLS with site-to-site VPNs because of its common use in remote access VPNs (e.g., AnyConnect), but SSL/TLS is a transport-layer protocol designed for client-to-server connections, not for routing entire network segments.
Detailed technical explanation
IPsec site-to-site VPNs typically use Internet Key Exchange (IKEv1 or IKEv2) to negotiate security associations (SAs) and exchange keys, with IKEv2 (RFC 7296) offering improved resilience and built-in NAT traversal. In tunnel mode, the entire original IP packet is encapsulated in a new IP packet with an ESP header, hiding internal network addresses and protecting against traffic analysis. A real-world scenario is connecting branch offices over the internet where IPsec is configured on edge routers (e.g., Cisco IOS crypto maps or VTI interfaces) to encrypt all inter-site traffic without requiring client software.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Network and Communications Security — This question tests Network and Communications Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: IPsec — IPsec is the correct choice for a site-to-site VPN because it operates at the network layer (Layer 3), providing encryption and authentication for all IP traffic between two entire networks. It supports both tunnel and transport modes, and uses protocols like ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload) and AH (Authentication Header) to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and origin authentication, making it the standard for permanent site-to-site connections.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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.
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