What is a direct consequence of not configuring an SSL cipher suite on an SSL-based virtual server?

• A. Data may be transmitted in plaintext
• B. The server will automatically generate a cipher
• C. The certificate will be trusted automatically
• D. The session will use TLS 1.3 by default

Answer: (A)

Think of an SSL cipher suite as the set of encryption algorithms the server and client will agree to use to protect data in transit. If you don’t configure any cipher suite on an SSL-based virtual server, there’s nothing to negotiate for encrypting the traffic. Without that encryption setup, the data being transmitted could end up unprotected, i.e., in plaintext.

That’s why this option is the best fit: without a configured cipher suite guiding how encryption should occur, the connection can’t be securely protected, so plaintext transmission becomes a real possibility.

The other ideas aren’t correct here because a cipher suite isn’t something the server auto-generates, and certificate trust isn’t determined by cipher configuration. Also, TLS version selection (like defaulting to TLS 1.3) depends on negotiation and supported features, not simply on whether a cipher suite was configured.