- A
AWS WAF
AWS WAF is a managed web application firewall that protects against common web exploits like SQL injection and XSS. It integrates with Application Load Balancers to filter and monitor HTTP/S requests.
- B
AWS Shield Advanced
Why wrong: AWS Shield Advanced provides enhanced DDoS protection for Layer 3 and Layer 4 attacks, but it does not provide the web application firewall capabilities needed to block SQL injection or XSS at the application layer.
- C
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that uses machine learning to identify malicious activity such as compromised instances or suspicious API calls. It does not function as a web application firewall.
- D
AWS Firewall Manager
Why wrong: AWS Firewall Manager centralizes the management of firewall rules across multiple accounts, but it does not provide the web application firewall itself. It helps deploy and manage AWS WAF rules centrally, but the service that provides the filtering is AWS WAF.
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company hosts a critical e-commerce web application on Amazon EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The security team is concerned about Layer 7 attacks, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). They also want to automatically block traffic from known malicious IP addresses. The company needs a managed web application firewall that integrates directly with the ALB. Which AWS service should the company use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS WAF
AWS WAF is a managed web application firewall that protects web applications from common Layer 7 attacks, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS), by inspecting HTTP/HTTPS requests. It integrates directly with an Application Load Balancer (ALB) to allow you to create custom rules that block or allow traffic based on request patterns, including automatically blocking traffic from known malicious IP addresses using managed IP reputation lists.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
AWS WAF
- ✗
AWS Shield Advanced
Why it's wrong here
AWS Shield Advanced provides enhanced DDoS protection for Layer 3 and Layer 4 attacks, but it does not provide the web application firewall capabilities needed to block SQL injection or XSS at the application layer.
- ✗
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that uses machine learning to identify malicious activity such as compromised instances or suspicious API calls. It does not function as a web application firewall.
- ✗
AWS Firewall Manager
Why it's wrong here
AWS Firewall Manager centralizes the management of firewall rules across multiple accounts, but it does not provide the web application firewall itself. It helps deploy and manage AWS WAF rules centrally, but the service that provides the filtering is AWS WAF.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS WAF with AWS Shield Advanced, assuming Shield Advanced provides application-layer filtering, but Shield Advanced focuses on DDoS mitigation at the network and transport layers, not on inspecting request payloads for SQL injection or XSS.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS WAF rules are evaluated in the order defined in the web ACL, and you can use rate-based rules to automatically block IP addresses that exceed a threshold of requests, which is useful for mitigating HTTP flood attacks. The integration with ALB occurs at the listener level, where the web ACL is associated with the ALB, allowing WAF to inspect each request before it reaches the backend EC2 instances, ensuring that malicious traffic is filtered out at the edge.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS WAF — AWS WAF is a managed web application firewall that protects web applications from common Layer 7 attacks, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS), by inspecting HTTP/HTTPS requests. It integrates directly with an Application Load Balancer (ALB) to allow you to create custom rules that block or allow traffic based on request patterns, including automatically blocking traffic from known malicious IP addresses using managed IP reputation lists.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.
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