LDAPS is commonly used to provide secure access to directory services by operating over which encryption layer?

• A. SSL/TLS
• B. IPsec
• C. SSH
• D. TLS only without SSL

Answer: (A)

LDAPS secures directory service traffic by running LDAP inside a TLS/SSL tunnel. The encryption layer here is TLS (the successor to SSL), so the entire LDAP conversation—logins, searches, and responses—travels encrypted, protecting credentials and data from eavesdropping or tampering. IPsec operates at the network layer and would encrypt broader traffic rather than the specific application protocol; SSH is for secure remote command access, not LDAP directory queries; saying TLS only without SSL misses the idea of LDAP being carried over an encrypted transport. In practice, LDAPS uses TLS/SSL to provide that protected channel, which is why SSL/TLS is the correct concept.