- A
Create an AWS WAF web ACL using managed rule sets and associate it with the CloudFront distribution.
AWS WAF examines incoming HTTP/HTTPS requests at the edge (when associated to CloudFront) and applies rule logic to detect common exploit patterns. Managed rule sets provide pre-built protections for threats like SQL injection and XSS before requests reach your origin.
- B
Add inbound rules to the security group so that only port 443 is open from the internet.
Why wrong: Security groups control network reachability (instance-level inbound/outbound), not application-layer payload inspection. Allowing port 443 does not prevent SQL injection or XSS because those attacks occur within the HTTP request content.
- C
Enable AWS Shield Advanced to block SQL injection and XSS.
Why wrong: AWS Shield Advanced primarily provides protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. It is not designed for application exploit detection such as SQL injection/XSS, which is addressed by WAF.
- D
Restrict IAM permissions for the application’s EC2 instances so that SQL injection payloads cannot be executed.
Why wrong: IAM permissions do not inspect or block malicious HTTP request payloads. SQL injection/XSS mitigation requires request filtering or input validation at the application or edge (for example, via AWS WAF).
Quick Answer
The answer is to create an AWS WAF web ACL using managed rule sets and associate it with your CloudFront distribution. This works because AWS WAF acts as a web application firewall at the edge, inspecting every HTTP/HTTPS request before it reaches your origin, and the managed rule sets specifically target SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) patterns, blocking malicious payloads automatically. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of edge-based security versus origin-based mitigation—a common trap is suggesting a network ACL or security group, which operate at the subnet or instance level and cannot inspect application-layer payloads. The key insight is that CloudFront plus WAF gives you global, low-latency protection without adding compute overhead. Memory tip: think "WAF at the edge, not the cage"—meaning apply the web ACL to CloudFront, not your VPC.
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.
Your organization hosts an internet-facing application behind an Amazon CloudFront distribution. You want to mitigate common web exploits (for example, SQL injection and XSS) at the edge. Which action is the most appropriate way to do this using AWS services?
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 an AWS WAF web ACL using managed rule sets and associate it 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 (XSS). By creating a web ACL with managed rule sets (e.g., the AWS Managed Rules for SQL injection and XSS) and associating it with your CloudFront distribution, you can inspect incoming HTTP/HTTPS requests at the edge and block malicious payloads before they reach your origin. This is the most appropriate and scalable way to mitigate these threats at the edge.
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.
- ✓
Create an AWS WAF web ACL using managed rule sets and associate it with the CloudFront distribution.
Why this is correct
AWS WAF examines incoming HTTP/HTTPS requests at the edge (when associated to CloudFront) and applies rule logic to detect common exploit patterns. Managed rule sets provide pre-built protections for threats like SQL injection and XSS before requests reach your origin.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Add inbound rules to the security group so that only port 443 is open from the internet.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups control network reachability (instance-level inbound/outbound), not application-layer payload inspection. Allowing port 443 does not prevent SQL injection or XSS because those attacks occur within the HTTP request content.
- ✗
Enable AWS Shield Advanced to block SQL injection and XSS.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Shield Advanced primarily provides protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. It is not designed for application exploit detection such as SQL injection/XSS, which is addressed by WAF.
- ✗
Restrict IAM permissions for the application’s EC2 instances so that SQL injection payloads cannot be executed.
Why it's wrong here
IAM permissions do not inspect or block malicious HTTP request payloads. SQL injection/XSS mitigation requires request filtering or input validation at the application or edge (for example, via AWS WAF).
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) or DDoS-specific services (Shield Advanced) with application-layer filtering, or mistakenly think IAM permissions can block malicious request payloads, when only a WAF can inspect and filter HTTP/HTTPS content at the edge.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS WAF integrates directly with CloudFront via the distribution's web ACL association, allowing inspection at the edge location closest to the user, which reduces latency and offloads processing from the origin. Managed rule sets, such as the AWSManagedRulesSQLiRuleSet and AWSManagedRulesKnownBadInputsRuleSet, are regularly updated by AWS to cover evolving attack patterns, providing a defense-in-depth layer. In a real-world scenario, a web ACL can also include rate-based rules to mitigate DDoS attacks alongside the application-layer protections.
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: Create an AWS WAF web ACL using managed rule sets and associate it 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 (XSS). By creating a web ACL with managed rule sets (e.g., the AWS Managed Rules for SQL injection and XSS) and associating it with your CloudFront distribution, you can inspect incoming HTTP/HTTPS requests at the edge and block malicious payloads before they reach your origin. This is the most appropriate and scalable way to mitigate these threats at the edge.
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.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SAA-C03
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. 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?
medium- ✓ A.Associate an AWS WAF web ACL with the CloudFront distribution.
- B.Add an inbound security group rule to the ALB for the attacker IP ranges.
- C.Use a network ACL to inspect and block SQL statements in the request body.
- D.Enable Amazon KMS encryption on the ALB listener certificates.
Why A: 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.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.
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