Which VPN protocol uses IPsec to encrypt information?

Which VPN protocol uses IPsec to encrypt information?

• A. L2TP
• B. PPTP
• C. IPSec
• D. SSL

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is that IPsec provides the encryption layer, while a tunneling protocol defines how the VPN tunnel is created. L2TP on its own doesn’t encrypt data; it just establishes a tunnel. When L2TP is combined with IPsec, the IPsec layer handles the encryption of the traffic inside the tunnel, giving you the common L2TP/IPsec VPN setup. That pairing is specifically designed to use IPsec to protect the information being sent, which is why it’s the correct choice here. PPTP relies on its own MPPE encryption, not IPsec. SSL VPNs use SSL/TLS for protection rather than IPsec. And IPsec, by itself, is a security framework for securing IP traffic rather than a tunneling protocol, so it isn’t the option described as “uses IPsec to encrypt information” in the sense of pairing with a tunneling method.

The essential idea is that IPsec provides the encryption layer, while a tunneling protocol defines how the VPN tunnel is created. L2TP on its own doesn’t encrypt data; it just establishes a tunnel. When L2TP is combined with IPsec, the IPsec layer handles the encryption of the traffic inside the tunnel, giving you the common L2TP/IPsec VPN setup. That pairing is specifically designed to use IPsec to protect the information being sent, which is why it’s the correct choice here.

PPTP relies on its own MPPE encryption, not IPsec. SSL VPNs use SSL/TLS for protection rather than IPsec. And IPsec, by itself, is a security framework for securing IP traffic rather than a tunneling protocol, so it isn’t the option described as “uses IPsec to encrypt information” in the sense of pairing with a tunneling method.