Which authentication method does the Kafka connector use?

• A. Username/password requiring a password with numbers and letters
• B. Key pair Authentication, which requires a 1024-bit (minimum) RSA key pair
• C. Key pair Authentication, which requires a 2048-bit (minimum) RSA key pair
• D. Username/password requiring a password with numbers, letters, and symbols

Answer: (C)

Key pair authentication using RSA client certificates is the method the Kafka connector uses. This relies on TLS mutual authentication, where the client proves its identity with a private key that corresponds to a certificate trusted by the broker, rather than sending a password. That’s why the correct option specifies a key pair approach rather than username/password. Among key pair options, the 2048-bit minimum RSA key length is chosen because it provides substantially stronger security against factoring attacks than 1024-bit keys, which are considered insecure and are generally deprecated. In practice, you’d configure TLS with the client’s keystore containing the private key and certificate, and a truststore with the broker’s CA certificate.