- A
Associate the Web ACL with the Application Load Balancer resource ARN so WAF evaluates requests sent to that ALB.
For an ALB, the Web ACL must be associated with the load balancer resource itself. If it is not attached to the ALB, WAF will not inspect those requests.
- B
Add a security group rule that drops inbound traffic from the attacker IP range at the instances' ENIs.
Why wrong: Security groups can block traffic, but this does not fix the fact that WAF is not evaluating the requests.
- C
Create a target group stickiness policy so WAF can count requests consistently per client IP.
Why wrong: Stickiness affects load balancing behavior, not whether WAF evaluates requests.
- D
Enable AWS Shield Advanced but keep the Web ACL unattached because Shield automatically applies rate limiting.
Why wrong: Shield protects against certain DDoS conditions, but it does not replace WAF association or WAF rate-based rules.
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. A key principle to apply: aWS WAF Web ACLs must be explicitly associated with a resource (e.g., ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) to inspect traffic.. 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 deploy a Web ACL with an AWS WAF rate-based rule intended to limit abusive traffic to your API. After the deployment, attackers still reach the backend service. ALB access logs show requests arrive at the ALB, but WAF logs indicate the Web ACL is not evaluating those requests.
Which change most likely fixes the issue?
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.
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 the Web ACL with the Application Load Balancer resource ARN so WAF evaluates requests sent to that ALB.
The Web ACL must be explicitly associated with the ALB resource ARN for AWS WAF to evaluate incoming requests. Without this association, WAF does not inspect traffic, allowing attackers to bypass the rate-based rule and reach the backend service. Associating the Web ACL with the ALB ensures that all requests to the ALB are evaluated by the WAF rules before being forwarded to the target group.
Key principle: AWS WAF Web ACLs must be explicitly associated with a resource (e.g., ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) to inspect traffic.
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 the Web ACL with the Application Load Balancer resource ARN so WAF evaluates requests sent to that ALB.
Why this is correct
For an ALB, the Web ACL must be associated with the load balancer resource itself. If it is not attached to the ALB, WAF will not inspect those requests.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
AWS WAF Web ACLs must be explicitly associated with a resource (e.g., ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) to inspect traffic.
- ✗
Add a security group rule that drops inbound traffic from the attacker IP range at the instances' ENIs.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups can block traffic, but this does not fix the fact that WAF is not evaluating the requests.
- ✗
Create a target group stickiness policy so WAF can count requests consistently per client IP.
Why it's wrong here
Stickiness affects load balancing behavior, not whether WAF evaluates requests.
- ✗
Enable AWS Shield Advanced but keep the Web ACL unattached because Shield automatically applies rate limiting.
Why it's wrong here
Shield protects against certain DDoS conditions, but it does not replace WAF association or WAF rate-based rules.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume deploying a Web ACL automatically applies it to all associated resources, but in AWS WAF, you must explicitly associate the Web ACL with each resource (ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) using the resource ARN.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS WAF operates as a web application firewall that inspects HTTP/HTTPS requests at the application layer (Layer 7). When a Web ACL is associated with an ALB, WAF intercepts traffic before it reaches the ALB's listener, allowing rate-based rules to track request rates per client IP using a sliding window algorithm (e.g., 5-minute window). If the Web ACL is not associated, the ALB forwards requests directly to targets without WAF evaluation, rendering the rate-based rule ineffective.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- AWS WAF Web ACLs must be explicitly associated with a resource (e.g., ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) to inspect traffic.
- Without association, WAF is not in the request path and cannot evaluate requests.
- ALB access logs show requests reaching the ALB, but WAF logs show no evaluation, indicating a missing association.
- WAF rate-based rules count requests and block traffic based on configurable thresholds from specific IP addresses.
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
AWS WAF Web ACLs must be explicitly associated with a resource (e.g., ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) to inspect traffic.
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review aWS WAF Web ACLs must be explicitly associated with a resource (e.g., ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) to inspect traffic., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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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 — AWS WAF Web ACLs must be explicitly associated with a resource (e.g., ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) to inspect traffic..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Associate the Web ACL with the Application Load Balancer resource ARN so WAF evaluates requests sent to that ALB. — The Web ACL must be explicitly associated with the ALB resource ARN for AWS WAF to evaluate incoming requests. Without this association, WAF does not inspect traffic, allowing attackers to bypass the rate-based rule and reach the backend service. Associating the Web ACL with the ALB ensures that all requests to the ALB are evaluated by the WAF rules before being forwarded to the target group.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Review aWS WAF Web ACLs must be explicitly associated with a resource (e.g., ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) to inspect traffic., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". 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?
AWS WAF Web ACLs must be explicitly associated with a resource (e.g., ALB, API Gateway, CloudFront) to inspect traffic.
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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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