- A
Associate an AWS WAF web ACL with the CloudFront distribution.
AWS WAF is the correct service for filtering HTTP(S) requests based on patterns such as SQL injection, bad bots, and rate-based abuse. When associated with CloudFront, the filtering happens at the edge before traffic reaches the ALB and origin, reducing load and blocking malicious requests earlier in the path. Shield Standard is already included for basic DDoS protection, but WAF is the component that provides the application-layer controls needed here.
- B
Add an inbound security group rule to the ALB for the attacker IP ranges.
Why wrong: Security groups cannot inspect HTTP payloads for SQL injection or block application-layer request patterns effectively.
- C
Use a network ACL to inspect and block SQL statements in the request body.
Why wrong: Network ACLs operate at the packet and port level, not at the HTTP content level needed for SQL injection filtering.
- D
Enable Amazon KMS encryption on the ALB listener certificates.
Why wrong: TLS encryption protects data in transit, but it does not stop malicious request content or reduce attack traffic volume.
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. 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 public web application is fronted by Amazon CloudFront and an ALB. The team is seeing SQL injection attempts and bursts of malicious HTTP requests that increase origin load. They want to block common web attacks before they reach the ALB. What should they do?
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
Associate an AWS WAF web ACL with the CloudFront distribution.
AWS WAF is a web application firewall that helps protect web applications from common web exploits like SQL injection and cross-site scripting. By associating an AWS WAF web ACL with the CloudFront distribution, you can inspect and filter HTTP(S) requests at the edge before they reach the ALB, reducing origin load and blocking malicious traffic early. This is the recommended approach for defending against layer 7 attacks at the CDN level.
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.
- ✓
Associate an AWS WAF web ACL with the CloudFront distribution.
Why this is correct
AWS WAF is the correct service for filtering HTTP(S) requests based on patterns such as SQL injection, bad bots, and rate-based abuse. When associated with CloudFront, the filtering happens at the edge before traffic reaches the ALB and origin, reducing load and blocking malicious requests earlier in the path. Shield Standard is already included for basic DDoS protection, but WAF is the component that provides the application-layer controls needed here.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Add an inbound security group rule to the ALB for the attacker IP ranges.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups cannot inspect HTTP payloads for SQL injection or block application-layer request patterns effectively.
- ✗
Use a network ACL to inspect and block SQL statements in the request body.
Why it's wrong here
Network ACLs operate at the packet and port level, not at the HTTP content level needed for SQL injection filtering.
- ✗
Enable Amazon KMS encryption on the ALB listener certificates.
Why it's wrong here
TLS encryption protects data in transit, but it does not stop malicious request content or reduce attack traffic volume.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse network-layer controls (security groups, NACLs) with application-layer protection, mistakenly thinking they can block SQL injection at the network level, when only a WAF can inspect HTTP request bodies for such attacks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS WAF integrates with CloudFront to evaluate incoming requests against rules in a web ACL before they reach the origin. The SQL injection match condition uses pattern matching and keyword analysis on the request body, query strings, or URI to detect malicious payloads. In a real-world scenario, this edge-based filtering reduces the load on the ALB and backend instances by dropping malicious traffic at CloudFront's over 400 points of presence, which is critical for handling burst attacks like HTTP floods.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Secure Architectures — This question tests Design Secure Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Associate an AWS WAF web ACL with the CloudFront distribution. — AWS WAF is a web application firewall that helps protect web applications from common web exploits like SQL injection and cross-site scripting. By associating an AWS WAF web ACL with the CloudFront distribution, you can inspect and filter HTTP(S) requests at the edge before they reach the ALB, reducing origin load and blocking malicious traffic early. This is the recommended approach for defending against layer 7 attacks at the CDN level.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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