ARA-C01 Accounts and Security Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are valid methods for securing data in transit for connections to Snowflake?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often select incorrect options like 'Data Encryption at Rest' when the question specifically asks for 'data in transit'. They fail to distinguish between encryption methods for stored data versus network communication protocols.
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
✓
Enforcing TLS 1.2+ for all client drivers.
Snowflake enforces TLS 1.2 or higher for all client connections. Securing data in transit is a non-negotiable requirement for compliance (e.g., HIPAA, SOC2). Architects must ensure that the client software and drivers are configured to use secure protocols, that private connectivity is utilized for sensitive environments, and that connections are validated against trusted sources, thereby mitigating the risk of man-in-the-middle attacks and data interception during transit.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enforcing TLS 1.2+ for all client drivers.
Why this is correct
Snowflake requires TLS 1.2 for all encrypted communications. Ensuring that client drivers, connectors, and applications are configured to support this protocol is essential. It provides the necessary cryptographic handshake to verify the server's identity and ensure that the traffic between the client and Snowflake remains encrypted and tamper-proof throughout the transit.
- ✓
Using Snowflake Private Link for private connectivity.
Why this is correct
Private Link allows traffic to stay within the cloud provider's backbone network rather than traversing the public internet. This significantly reduces the attack surface by ensuring that data traffic is isolated from public traffic, providing a highly secure and private channel for sensitive data transfers to and from Snowflake.
- ✗
Implementing client-side data encryption with PGP.
Why it's wrong here
While PGP encryption is useful for securing files stored in external stages, it is not a mechanism for securing the connection between the client and Snowflake. The Snowflake platform handles encryption of data in transit automatically; adding application-layer PGP encryption for connection transit is redundant and not a standard supported practice.
- ✓
Restricting access to approved IP addresses via Network Policies.
Why this is correct
Network policies provide a fundamental layer of security by ensuring that only traffic originating from trusted, known IP addresses can reach the Snowflake instance. By limiting the source of traffic, architects reduce the risk of unauthorized connection attempts and ensure that only managed networks can initiate data transfers into the Snowflake environment.
- ✗
Enabling the Snowflake data sharing feature.
Why it's wrong here
Data sharing is a feature for sharing data between accounts, not a protocol for securing the connection transit itself. While data shares are secure, they are a logical data access mechanism, not a network-level security control for encrypting or protecting the actual TCP/IP traffic between a client and the Snowflake cloud service.
About these practice questions
This ARA-C01 question is part of Courseiva's 209-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. 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 September 2026 · checked against the official Snowflake exam blueprint
This ARA-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Snowflake 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 ARA-C01 exam.