- A
AWS WAF
Why wrong: AWS WAF is a web application firewall that charges per rule and per request. It protects against application layer attacks but is not the service that provides free automatic DDoS protection.
- B
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty is a threat detection service with its own cost model. It detects suspicious activity but does not provide real-time DDoS mitigation.
- C
AWS Shield Advanced
Why wrong: Shield Advanced provides enhanced DDoS protection, 24/7 access to the DDoS Response Team, and cost protection — but it costs $3,000/month with a 1-year commitment.
- D
AWS Shield Standard
AWS Shield Standard is enabled automatically for every AWS customer at no additional charge. It protects against the most common network and transport layer DDoS attacks.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Shield Standard. This service is automatically enabled for every AWS account at no extra cost, providing always-on detection and inline mitigation of common infrastructure-layer DDoS attacks like SYN floods, UDP floods, and reflection attacks. For the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the shared responsibility model and the distinction between free, automatic protection and paid, enhanced options. A common trap is confusing AWS Shield Standard with AWS Shield Advanced, which requires a paid subscription and offers additional features like cost protection and attack forensics. Remember the key phrase: “free automatic DDoS protection AWS” points directly to Shield Standard, not Advanced. A simple memory tip: Standard is the standard, no-cost baseline; Advanced is the optional upgrade.
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 is concerned about Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against their website hosted on AWS. They want basic DDoS protection without incurring additional cost. Which AWS service provides automatic DDoS protection at no extra charge?
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 Shield Standard
AWS Shield Standard is automatically enabled for all AWS customers at no additional cost and provides basic protection against common infrastructure-layer DDoS attacks, such as SYN/UDP floods and reflection attacks. This matches the requirement for automatic, no-cost DDoS protection without any manual configuration or subscription.
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
Why it's wrong here
AWS WAF is a web application firewall that charges per rule and per request. It protects against application layer attacks but is not the service that provides free automatic DDoS protection.
- ✗
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty is a threat detection service with its own cost model. It detects suspicious activity but does not provide real-time DDoS mitigation.
- ✗
AWS Shield Advanced
Why it's wrong here
Shield Advanced provides enhanced DDoS protection, 24/7 access to the DDoS Response Team, and cost protection — but it costs $3,000/month with a 1-year commitment.
- ✓
AWS Shield Standard
Why this is correct
AWS Shield Standard is enabled automatically for every AWS customer at no additional charge. It protects against the most common network and transport layer DDoS attacks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS WAF (which protects against application-layer threats but is not free) with DDoS protection, or they assume Shield Advanced is the only DDoS service, overlooking the always-on, no-cost Shield Standard.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Shield Standard operates at the AWS edge, using techniques such as connection tracking, rate limiting, and traffic scrubbing to absorb common DDoS vectors like SYN floods and UDP reflection attacks. It leverages AWS's global infrastructure to automatically detect and mitigate attacks up to a certain threshold without requiring any customer action, making it ideal for basic protection. In contrast, Shield Advanced provides additional features like application-layer monitoring and dedicated DDoS response team (DRT) support for more sophisticated attacks.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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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CLF-C02 practice test guide
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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 Shield Standard — AWS Shield Standard is automatically enabled for all AWS customers at no additional cost and provides basic protection against common infrastructure-layer DDoS attacks, such as SYN/UDP floods and reflection attacks. This matches the requirement for automatic, no-cost DDoS protection without any manual configuration or subscription.
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 →
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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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