DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company has an Amazon RDS for Oracle DB instance that is publicly accessible. They want to restrict access to only a specific CIDR block. Which two actions must be taken together?
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 VPC security group to allow inbound traffic on the database port from the specific CIDR, and ensure the DB instance is publicly accessible with the correct security group.
You must modify the VPC security group to allow inbound traffic on the database port from the specific CIDR, and the DB instance must be configured as publicly accessible with that security group attached. Option B is wrong because the DB subnet group determines which subnets the instance can be deployed in, not inbound access restrictions. Option C is wrong because network ACLs operate at the subnet level and are less granular; security groups are the appropriate mechanism for RDS access control. Option D is wrong because the rds.force_ssl parameter enforces encrypted connections but does not restrict by source IP or CIDR.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Modify the VPC security group to allow inbound traffic on the database port from the specific CIDR, and ensure the DB instance is publicly accessible with the correct security group.
Why this is correct
The security group acts as a firewall for the DB instance, and the PubliclyAccessible setting allows it to have a public IP.
- ✗
Modify the DB subnet group to include only subnets from the allowed CIDR.
Why it's wrong here
The DB subnet group determines which subnets the DB instance can be placed in, but does not filter incoming traffic.
- ✗
Add a rule to the network ACL to allow inbound traffic from the CIDR.
Why it's wrong here
Network ACLs are associated with subnets, not directly with the DB instance, and are less precise than security groups.
- ✗
Set the rds.force_ssl parameter to force encrypted connections from the allowed CIDR.
Why it's wrong here
This parameter enforces SSL, not network access control.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DBS-C01 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 DBS-C01 exam.