DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company wants to restrict access to an Amazon RDS for MySQL DB instance so that only applications running in a specific VPC can connect. Which solution should be implemented?
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
✓
Configure the DB instance's security group to allow inbound traffic only from the application's security group.
Security groups act as a virtual firewall for the DB instance, and by allowing inbound traffic only from the application's security group, access is restricted to resources in that VPC. Option A is incorrect because IAM policies control API-level permissions, not network-level access. Option C is incorrect because network ACLs are stateless and apply at the subnet level, not at the instance level. Option D is incorrect because security groups are not attached to subnets; they are attached to network interfaces.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use an IAM policy to restrict database connections based on source IP.
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies do not control network traffic.
- ✓
Configure the DB instance's security group to allow inbound traffic only from the application's security group.
Why this is correct
Security groups can reference other security groups.
- ✗
Configure the subnet's network ACL to allow inbound traffic only from the application's IP range.
Why it's wrong here
NACLs are stateless and apply to subnets, not instances.
- ✗
Attach a security group to the subnet that allows inbound traffic from the application's VPC.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups are attached to network interfaces, not subnets.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every DBS-C01 question from scratch — 1,663 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.