- A
The WAF web ACL intended for CloudFront must be created in the us-east-1 (N. Virginia) region (CloudFront scope), even if the rest of the stack is in another region.
CloudFront-scoped WAF web ACLs use a global scope that is provisioned/managed in us-east-1. Creating the web ACL in the wrong region (or with the wrong scope) prevents CloudFront from evaluating the expected web ACL rules, which would lead to no rule matches in logs.
- B
WAF rules only evaluate requests after they reach the origin, so the absence of matches means the origin is blocking traffic first.
Why wrong: WAF evaluates requests at the edge (before the request is forwarded to the origin). If rules never match, the issue is more likely related to WAF association/scope/rule logic than the origin blocking first.
- C
For CloudFront, you must use a regional WAF endpoint and cannot use a global web ACL.
Why wrong: CloudFront uses a global WAF web ACL scope. The service expects a CloudFront-scoped web ACL, which is created/managed in us-east-1.
- D
WAF web ACL rules never apply to signed URLs or signed cookies, so the web ACL is bypassed by design.
Why wrong: Signed URLs and signed cookies are still requests that WAF evaluates. WAF does not bypass evaluation solely due to the request being signed.
Quick Answer
The answer is that the WAF web ACL must be created in the us-east-1 (N. Virginia) region when it is intended for use with CloudFront. This is because CloudFront is a global service, and AWS WAF web ACLs with a global scope—the only type that can be associated with a CloudFront distribution—are always defined in us-east-1, regardless of where your origin or other resources reside. If you create the web ACL in any other region, it becomes a regional web ACL and cannot be attached to CloudFront, meaning the rules are never evaluated against incoming requests, which explains why attacks still reach the origin and CloudWatch logs show no matches. On the SAA-C03 exam, this is a classic trap: candidates often assume they can create the WAF web ACL in the same region as their application stack, forgetting that CloudFront’s global nature forces a us-east-1 requirement. A simple memory tip is “CloudFront is global, so its WAF lives in us-east-1.”
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
You use Amazon CloudFront in front of a private content S3 origin. To mitigate an OWASP Top 10 issue, you created a WAF web ACL and associated it to the CloudFront distribution, but attacks are still reaching the origin.
CloudWatch logs show the web ACL rules never match for the CloudFront requests.
What is the most likely configuration mistake?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Clue:
"never"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
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
The WAF web ACL intended for CloudFront must be created in the us-east-1 (N. Virginia) region (CloudFront scope), even if the rest of the stack is in another region.
When using AWS WAF with CloudFront, the web ACL must be created in the US East (N. Virginia) region (us-east-1) because CloudFront is a global service that only supports WAF web ACLs with a global scope, which are always defined in us-east-1. If the web ACL is created in any other region, it will be a regional web ACL and cannot be associated with a CloudFront distribution, causing the rules to never be evaluated against incoming requests. This explains why CloudWatch logs show no rule matches—the web ACL is effectively not attached to the CloudFront distribution.
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.
- ✓
The WAF web ACL intended for CloudFront must be created in the us-east-1 (N. Virginia) region (CloudFront scope), even if the rest of the stack is in another region.
Why this is correct
CloudFront-scoped WAF web ACLs use a global scope that is provisioned/managed in us-east-1. Creating the web ACL in the wrong region (or with the wrong scope) prevents CloudFront from evaluating the expected web ACL rules, which would lead to no rule matches in logs.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "most likely", "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
WAF rules only evaluate requests after they reach the origin, so the absence of matches means the origin is blocking traffic first.
Why it's wrong here
WAF evaluates requests at the edge (before the request is forwarded to the origin). If rules never match, the issue is more likely related to WAF association/scope/rule logic than the origin blocking first.
- ✗
For CloudFront, you must use a regional WAF endpoint and cannot use a global web ACL.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront uses a global WAF web ACL scope. The service expects a CloudFront-scoped web ACL, which is created/managed in us-east-1.
- ✗
WAF web ACL rules never apply to signed URLs or signed cookies, so the web ACL is bypassed by design.
Why it's wrong here
Signed URLs and signed cookies are still requests that WAF evaluates. WAF does not bypass evaluation solely due to the request being signed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume WAF web ACLs can be created in any region for CloudFront, not realizing that CloudFront requires a global-scope web ACL that must be created in us-east-1, regardless of where the origin or other resources reside.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudFront is a global service that operates from edge locations, and AWS WAF for CloudFront requires a web ACL with a global scope, which is always provisioned in the us-east-1 region. This is because CloudFront's control plane is centralized in us-east-1, and the WAF rules are distributed to all edge locations for evaluation. A common real-world mistake is creating the web ACL in the same region as the S3 bucket or other resources, which results in a regional web ACL that cannot be associated with CloudFront, leading to no protection.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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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: The WAF web ACL intended for CloudFront must be created in the us-east-1 (N. Virginia) region (CloudFront scope), even if the rest of the stack is in another region. — When using AWS WAF with CloudFront, the web ACL must be created in the US East (N. Virginia) region (us-east-1) because CloudFront is a global service that only supports WAF web ACLs with a global scope, which are always defined in us-east-1. If the web ACL is created in any other region, it will be a regional web ACL and cannot be associated with a CloudFront distribution, causing the rules to never be evaluated against incoming requests. This explains why CloudWatch logs show no rule matches—the web ACL is effectively not attached to the CloudFront distribution.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely", "never". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
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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