- A
AWS Shield Standard
Why wrong: AWS Shield Standard protects against volumetric DDoS attacks at the network and transport layers. It does not inspect HTTP request content for SQL injection or XSS patterns.
- B
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty is a threat detection service that analyses AWS logs (CloudTrail, VPC Flow Logs, DNS) to identify threats. It does not inspect or block individual HTTP requests at the application layer.
- C
AWS WAF
AWS WAF is a web application firewall that inspects HTTP/HTTPS requests and applies rules to block attacks including SQL injection and XSS. AWS Managed Rules provide pre-built protections for common OWASP Top 10 attacks.
- D
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Amazon Inspector performs automated security assessments of EC2 instances and ECR container images. It identifies vulnerabilities in the software configuration but does not block incoming HTTP attacks in real time.
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's public-facing web application is being attacked with SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) attempts. Which AWS service should they deploy to detect and block these web application attacks?
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 web application firewall that helps protect web applications from common web exploits like SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). It allows you to create custom rules to filter and monitor HTTP(S) requests based on conditions such as IP addresses, HTTP headers, or request body patterns, and can block malicious traffic before it reaches your application.
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 Shield Standard
Why it's wrong here
AWS Shield Standard protects against volumetric DDoS attacks at the network and transport layers. It does not inspect HTTP request content for SQL injection or XSS patterns.
- ✗
Amazon GuardDuty
- ✓
AWS WAF
Why this is correct
AWS WAF is a web application firewall that inspects HTTP/HTTPS requests and applies rules to block attacks including SQL injection and XSS. AWS Managed Rules provide pre-built protections for common OWASP Top 10 attacks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Inspector performs automated security assessments of EC2 instances and ECR container images. It identifies vulnerabilities in the software configuration but does not block incoming HTTP attacks in real time.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Shield (DDoS protection) with AWS WAF (web application firewall), but Shield operates at Layer 3/4 and cannot inspect or block application-layer payloads like SQL injection or XSS.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS WAF integrates with Application Load Balancer (ALB), Amazon CloudFront, and API Gateway to inspect incoming HTTP(S) requests. It uses a rule-based engine where you can define conditions like SQL injection match conditions that parse the request body, query string, or URI for SQL keywords (e.g., SELECT, UNION, DROP) and XSS match conditions that look for script tags or event handlers. A real-world scenario is using rate-based rules to also mitigate brute-force login attempts alongside SQLi/XSS protections.
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.
- →
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Security and Compliance practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All CLF-C02 questions
1,024 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
CLF-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related CLF-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Cloud Concepts practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Concepts.
Security and Compliance practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
Cloud Technology and Services practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Technology and Services.
Billing, Pricing, and Support practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Billing, Pricing, and Support.
AWS shared responsibility model practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS shared responsibility model.
AWS IAM practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS IAM.
AWS pricing practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS pricing.
AWS support plans practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS support plans.
AWS S3 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS S3.
AWS EC2 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS EC2.
Practice this exam
Start a free CLF-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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 web application firewall that helps protect web applications from common web exploits like SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). It allows you to create custom rules to filter and monitor HTTP(S) requests based on conditions such as IP addresses, HTTP headers, or request body patterns, and can block malicious traffic before it reaches your application.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More CLF-C02 practice questions
- A company publishes a message each time a new product is added to its catalogue. Three services need to receive this mes…
- A media company stores frequently accessed video thumbnails in Amazon S3. The thumbnails are read multiple times every d…
- A company needs a service to translate domain names (like www.example.com) into IP addresses, check the health of their…
- A startup runs an application on AWS and receives a monthly bill that charges exactly for the number of compute hours us…
- A financial institution runs its core banking application on-premises due to regulatory requirements. It has connected i…
- A company wants to run a MySQL database in AWS without managing database software installation, applying patches, settin…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.