ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
A company has a VPC with a public subnet and a private subnet. An EC2 instance in the private subnet needs to connect to the internet for patching. The security team wants to minimize the attack surface. Which solution should be used?
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
✓
Create a NAT Gateway in the public subnet and update route tables
A NAT Gateway in the public subnet allows the EC2 instance in the private subnet to initiate outbound connections to the internet for patching while preventing unsolicited inbound traffic, thus minimizing the attack surface. Option A is incorrect because a proxy server adds unnecessary complexity and overhead compared to a managed NAT Gateway, and it still requires careful configuration to minimize attack surface. Option B is incorrect because an Internet Gateway cannot be attached directly to a private subnet; it is attached to the VPC and requires a public subnet for route propagation. Option D is incorrect because a VPN connection is designed for hybrid connectivity to on-premises networks, not for general internet access from a VPC.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Set up a proxy server in the public subnet
Why it's wrong here
A proxy server adds unnecessary complexity and overhead compared to a managed NAT Gateway, and it may also introduce a single point of failure.
- ✗
Attach an Internet Gateway to the private subnet
Why it's wrong here
An Internet Gateway cannot be attached directly to a private subnet because private subnets do not have a route to the Internet Gateway without a NAT device. An Internet Gateway is attached to the VPC and requires a public subnet for route propagation.
- ✓
Create a NAT Gateway in the public subnet and update route tables
Why this is correct
A NAT Gateway in the public subnet allows the EC2 instance in the private subnet to initiate outbound connections to the internet for patching while preventing unsolicited inbound traffic, thus minimizing the attack surface.
- ✗
Use a VPN connection to the on-premises network
Why it's wrong here
A VPN connection is designed for hybrid connectivity to on-premises networks, not for general internet access from a VPC.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This ANS-C01 question is part of Courseiva's 1,621-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam 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 ANS-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 ANS-C01 exam.