CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
A company is migrating an on-premises MySQL database to Amazon RDS for MySQL. The security team needs to understand their responsibilities under the AWS Shared Responsibility Model. Which of the following tasks is the customer's responsibility?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'patching the database engine' (which is AWS's responsibility for RDS) with 'configuring network access controls' (which is the customer's responsibility), leading candidates to incorrectly select Option A.
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
✓
Configuring security group rules to control network access to the database
Under the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, the customer is responsible for configuring security group rules to control network access to the database. Security groups act as a virtual firewall that controls inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level, and the customer must define the rules (e.g., source IP, port 3306 for MySQL) to restrict access appropriately.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Applying minor version patches to the MySQL database engine
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect. AWS handles patching of the database engine for Amazon RDS. The customer does not need to apply minor version patches; AWS performs this maintenance automatically or during a defined maintenance window.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'A company is running MySQL on an EC2 instance. Which task is the customer's responsibility?' In that scenario, the customer manages the OS and database, including applying minor version patches.
- ✗
Managing the physical security of the data center where the RDS instance is hosted
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect. Physical security of AWS data centers is the responsibility of AWS. Customers never have access to the physical servers or facilities.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked about responsibilities for an on-premises data center or a hybrid setup where the customer owns the physical infrastructure, then managing physical security would be the customer's responsibility.
- ✓
Configuring security group rules to control network access to the database
Why this is correct
This is correct. Security groups act as virtual firewalls for RDS instances. Configuring inbound and outbound rules to allow only necessary traffic is a customer responsibility under the Shared Responsibility Model.
- ✗
Replacing failed hardware components in the RDS host server
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect. AWS is responsible for the underlying hardware. If a host server fails, AWS automatically replaces the hardware and migrates the RDS instance to healthy hardware without customer intervention.
When this WOULD be correct
In a question about an on-premises database migration where the customer retains full control over the underlying hardware (e.g., using dedicated hosts or EC2 instances), the customer would be responsible for replacing failed hardware components.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CLF-C02 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Configuring security group rules to control network access to the databaseCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
This is correct. Security groups act as virtual firewalls for RDS instances. Configuring inbound and outbound rules to allow only necessary traffic is a customer responsibility under the Shared Responsibility Model.
✗Applying minor version patches to the MySQL database engineWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Under the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, AWS is responsible for applying minor version patches to the RDS database engine. The customer only controls patching for the EC2 instance or self-managed databases.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'A company is running MySQL on an EC2 instance. Which task is the customer's responsibility?' In that scenario, the customer manages the OS and database, including applying minor version patches.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse RDS (managed service) with self-managed databases on EC2, assuming patching is always the customer's responsibility.
✗Managing the physical security of the data center where the RDS instance is hostedWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Under the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, AWS manages the physical security of data centers, including where RDS instances are hosted. The customer is not responsible for data center physical security.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question asked about responsibilities for an on-premises data center or a hybrid setup where the customer owns the physical infrastructure, then managing physical security would be the customer's responsibility.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse physical security as a shared responsibility, not realizing that AWS fully handles physical security for managed services like RDS.
✗Replacing failed hardware components in the RDS host serverWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Under the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, AWS is responsible for the physical infrastructure, including replacing failed hardware components in the RDS host server. The customer does not manage hardware replacements.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a question about an on-premises database migration where the customer retains full control over the underlying hardware (e.g., using dedicated hosts or EC2 instances), the customer would be responsible for replacing failed hardware components.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the shared responsibility model, thinking that since they are responsible for the database configuration and data, they also handle hardware maintenance, especially if they are used to managing on-premises infrastructure.
Analysis generated from the official CLF-C02blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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About these practice questions
One of 988 original CLF-C02 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on CLF-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A healthcare startup is migrating its patient records database to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. The company must comply with HIPAA and ensure that all protected health information (PHI) is encrypted at rest and in transit. Which task is the company responsible for under the AWS shared responsibility model?
medium- A.Encrypting the physical disk drives in the AWS data center that host the database.
- ✓ B.Enabling encryption at rest for the Amazon RDS instance and configuring SSL for connections.
- C.Applying operating system patches to the Amazon RDS database engine.
- D.Configuring network ACLs to block all traffic except from authorized sources.
Why B: Under the AWS shared responsibility model, the customer is responsible for encryption in transit and at rest for the data they store in AWS services. For Amazon RDS, enabling encryption at rest (via AWS KMS) and configuring SSL/TLS for client connections are customer-side tasks. AWS handles the physical security of data centers and the underlying infrastructure, but the customer must explicitly enable these encryption features to meet HIPAA compliance.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.