DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. A data engineer runs the above CLI command and sees the output. The security team requires that the RDS instance not be accessible from the internet. Which change should the engineer make?
⚠ Common exam trap
The DEA-C01 exam often tests the misconception that modifying a security group to block all inbound traffic is sufficient to make an RDS instance private, but the trap here is that the instance can still have a public IP address and be reachable from the internet if the security group rule is later removed or if the instance is in a public subnet.
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
✓
Modify the DB instance to set PubliclyAccessible to false.
Setting the `PubliclyAccessible` attribute to `false` ensures that the RDS instance is not assigned a public IP address and is not reachable from the internet. This directly satisfies the security team's requirement, as the instance will only be accessible from within the VPC. The CLI command shown modifies the DB instance, and this parameter is the standard AWS mechanism to control internet accessibility for RDS.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Change the storage type to io1 for better performance.
Why it's wrong here
Storage type governs IOPS, throughput and latency characteristics of the underlying volume; it has no bearing on subnet placement, public IP assignment or internet routing. It is tempting because io1 appears in RDS configuration reviews, and it would be correct when the workload needs provisioned IOPS beyond gp2/gp3 baselines.
- ✓
Modify the DB instance to set PubliclyAccessible to false.
Why this is correct
Setting PubliclyAccessible to false removes the instance's public IP and prevents internet routing, directly satisfying the security team's requirement. Security group rules alone do not make an RDS instance private, so this attribute change is the correct control.
- ✗
Enable Multi-AZ deployment to improve security.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ provides synchronous standby replication for availability during AZ failure; it does not change subnet placement, public accessibility or route tables, so the instance remains internet-reachable. It is tempting because Multi-AZ is often bundled into RDS hardening advice, and it would be correct when the requirement is resilience rather than network isolation.
- ✗
Update the VPC security group to deny inbound traffic from 0.0.0.0/0.
Why it's wrong here
A security group rule cannot make an RDS instance private; internet accessibility is determined by whether the instance sits in a public subnet with a public IP and a route to an internet gateway. It is tempting because 0.0.0.0/0 rules look like the exposure, and tightening them is correct for EC2 ingress hardening.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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