Question 1mediummulti select
Review the full subnetting walkthrough →Question 887 of 1,040
Quick Answer
The correct approach is to create VPC endpoints for both SQS and DynamoDB, attach a policy restricting access to the EC2 instance’s IAM role, and configure the security group to allow outbound traffic to the endpoints. This works because VPC endpoints enable private connectivity between your VPC and supported AWS services using the AWS network, completely bypassing the internet, NAT gateways, or public IPs. By attaching a resource-based policy to each endpoint that limits traffic to the specific IAM role assigned to the EC2 instances, you enforce least-privilege access and ensure no data leaves the AWS backbone. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of VPC endpoints as a secure, cost-effective alternative to NAT gateways for private subnet workloads—a common trap is forgetting that security groups must reference the endpoint’s prefix list ID, not a public IP or CIDR. Remember the mnemonic: “Three P’s for Private—Policy, Prefix, and Permissions.”
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 company has a workload running on Amazon EC2 instances that need to securely communicate with an Amazon SQS queue and an Amazon DynamoDB table. The EC2 instances are in a private subnet without internet access. The security team wants to ensure that no traffic leaves the AWS network. Which three steps should be taken to meet these requirements? (Choose three.)
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 VPC endpoint for Amazon SQS and attach a policy that allows access from the EC2 instance's IAM role.
Creating VPC endpoints for Amazon SQS and DynamoDB allows EC2 instances in a private subnet to communicate with these services privately, without traversing the internet or requiring a NAT gateway. Attaching a policy that restricts access to the EC2 instance's IAM role ensures that only authorized traffic is allowed, meeting the security team's requirement that no traffic leaves the AWS network. Configuring the security group to allow outbound traffic to the VPC endpoints is necessary because security groups are stateful and control outbound connections, but the endpoints themselves are accessed via their specific prefix list IDs, not public IPs.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a NAT gateway is required for private subnet resources to access AWS services, but VPC endpoints provide a more secure and cost-effective alternative that keeps traffic entirely within the AWS network.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC endpoints for SQS and DynamoDB use AWS PrivateLink, which leverages Elastic Network Interfaces (ENIs) in the VPC subnet to route traffic privately over the AWS backbone. The security group for the EC2 instances must allow outbound traffic to the prefix list ID of the VPC endpoint (e.g., for DynamoDB, the prefix list is typically 'com.amazonaws.region.dynamodb'), not to a specific IP range, because the endpoint's ENI is dynamically assigned. In a real-world scenario, if the IAM role policy on the endpoint is too permissive, it could allow access from other resources in the VPC, so attaching a condition like 'aws:SourceArn' or 'aws:SourceAccount' is a common best practice.
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.
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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 a VPC endpoint for Amazon SQS and attach a policy that allows access from the EC2 instance's IAM role. — Creating VPC endpoints for Amazon SQS and DynamoDB allows EC2 instances in a private subnet to communicate with these services privately, without traversing the internet or requiring a NAT gateway. Attaching a policy that restricts access to the EC2 instance's IAM role ensures that only authorized traffic is allowed, meeting the security team's requirement that no traffic leaves the AWS network. Configuring the security group to allow outbound traffic to the VPC endpoints is necessary because security groups are stateful and control outbound connections, but the endpoints themselves are accessed via their specific prefix list IDs, not public IPs.
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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