38. Which action should be taken to ensure that unencrypted network traffic is protected?

Answer: D

Explanation:

Data should be transmitted using the transport layer security (TLS) protocol.

Using the transport layer security (TLS) protocol is essential for protecting unencrypted network traffic, as it provides a secure communication channel by encrypting the data transmitted over the network.

A) Data should be transmitted using the secure socket layer (SSL) protocol.

While SSL is a predecessor to TLS and also provides encryption for network traffic, it is considered obsolete and less secure than TLS. Thus, relying on SSL is not the best practice for ensuring the protection of unencrypted network traffic.

B) Data should be transmitted after it is compressed and password protected using data gunzip (GZ).

Compressing data and using password protection does not inherently provide encryption for the network traffic itself. Therefore, this method does not effectively secure the data during transmission, making it an insufficient choice for protecting unencrypted network traffic.

C) Data should be transmitted using generic routing encapsulation (GRE).

GRE is a tunneling protocol that encapsulates packets, but it does not provide any encryption. Therefore, using GRE does not protect unencrypted network traffic and leaves the data vulnerable to interception and unauthorized access.

D) Data should be transmitted using the transport layer security (TLS) protocol.

This option is the correct choice because TLS is designed to secure data in transit by encrypting it, thereby preventing eavesdropping and tampering, making it the most effective method for protecting unencrypted network traffic.

Conclusion

The transport layer security (TLS) protocol is the definitive solution for ensuring the protection of unencrypted network traffic due to its robust encryption capabilities. In contrast, the other options either provide inadequate security, are outdated, or do not offer encryption, making them ineffective for this purpose. Hence, TLS stands out as the most reliable choice for securing data during transmission.