- A
Subscribe to AWS Shield Advanced and deploy AWS WAF on the ALB.
Shield Advanced provides DDoS protection at the edge, and WAF filters application-layer attacks.
- B
Configure network ACLs to allow only known IP ranges.
Why wrong: Network ACLs are not effective against DDoS at the edge; they are per-subnet and static.
- C
Enable AWS Shield Standard and configure security groups to block traffic from suspicious sources.
Why wrong: Shield Standard is included, but security groups are not sufficient for DDoS.
- D
Use Amazon Route 53 with DNS-based failover to redirect traffic away from the ALB during an attack.
Why wrong: Route 53 is not a DDoS mitigation service at the edge.
Question 62 of 1,705
ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is designing a network for a large-scale e-commerce platform that must handle sudden traffic spikes. The architecture uses an Application Load Balancer (ALB) in front of an Auto Scaling group of EC2 instances across multiple Availability Zones. The ALB is internet-facing. To protect against DDoS attacks, which AWS services should be used at the network edge?
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
✓
Subscribe to AWS Shield Advanced and deploy AWS WAF on the ALB.
AWS Shield Advanced provides enhanced DDoS protection for internet-facing resources like ALBs, including cost protection and access to the DDoS Response Team (DRT). Deploying AWS WAF on the ALB allows you to create custom rules to filter malicious traffic, such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting attempts, and rate-limit requests to mitigate application-layer DDoS attacks. Together, they form a layered defense at the network edge, addressing both infrastructure (Layer 3/4) and application (Layer 7) threats.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Subscribe to AWS Shield Advanced and deploy AWS WAF on the ALB.
Why this is correct
Shield Advanced provides DDoS protection at the edge, and WAF filters application-layer attacks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configure network ACLs to allow only known IP ranges.
Why it's wrong here
Network ACLs are not effective against DDoS at the edge; they are per-subnet and static.
- ✗
Enable AWS Shield Standard and configure security groups to block traffic from suspicious sources.
Why it's wrong here
Shield Standard is included, but security groups are not sufficient for DDoS.
- ✗
Use Amazon Route 53 with DNS-based failover to redirect traffic away from the ALB during an attack.
Why it's wrong here
Route 53 is not a DDoS mitigation service at the edge.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume AWS Shield Standard is sufficient for all DDoS protection, but the exam tests that Shield Advanced is required for application-layer attacks and cost protection, while WAF is needed for granular traffic filtering at the ALB.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Shield Advanced uses AWS Global Accelerator and CloudFront integration to scrub traffic at the edge, absorbing up to multiple terabits of DDoS traffic. AWS WAF can be configured with rate-based rules that automatically block IPs exceeding a threshold (e.g., 2,000 requests per 5 minutes), which is critical for handling sudden traffic spikes from botnets. In a real-world scenario, a flash sale could trigger a legitimate spike that resembles an attack; combining Shield Advanced’s automatic mitigation with WAF’s custom rate limits ensures genuine users are not blocked while malicious traffic is dropped.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Visual reference
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Network Design — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Network Design practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All ANS-C01 questions
1,705 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
ANS-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related ANS-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Network Management and Operations practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Management and Operations.
Network Security, Compliance and Governance practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Security, Compliance and Governance.
Network Design practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Design.
Network Implementation practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Implementation.
ANS-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 fundamentals.
ANS-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 scenario.
ANS-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free ANS-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ANS-C01 question test?
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Subscribe to AWS Shield Advanced and deploy AWS WAF on the ALB. — AWS Shield Advanced provides enhanced DDoS protection for internet-facing resources like ALBs, including cost protection and access to the DDoS Response Team (DRT). Deploying AWS WAF on the ALB allows you to create custom rules to filter malicious traffic, such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting attempts, and rate-limit requests to mitigate application-layer DDoS attacks. Together, they form a layered defense at the network edge, addressing both infrastructure (Layer 3/4) and application (Layer 7) threats.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More ANS-C01 practice questions
- A financial services company has a VPC with a public subnet and a private subnet. EC2 instances in the private subnet ne…
- A company is designing a network security architecture for a multi-account environment using AWS Transit Gateway. The se…
- A company is using AWS Direct Connect to connect its on-premises network to AWS. The company wants to encrypt all traffi…
- A company uses AWS Transit Gateway to connect multiple VPCs and on-premises networks via AWS Site-to-Site VPN. The secur…
- A company runs a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application must be acc…
- A global e-commerce company uses a hub-and-spoke network topology with a transit VPC in us-east-1. Each spoke VPC has an…
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.