SAP-C02 Security group statefulness Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: security group statefulness. 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.
Network Topology
An administrator runs the above commands and observes the outputs. The instance is in a public subnet with an internet gateway. What is the most likely issue preventing users from accessing the web server?
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.
Network Topology
A
The security group allows SSH from a restricted IP, but not from the users.
Why wrong: While SSH restriction exists, it does not affect web traffic; users cannot access the web server due to HTTP restriction, not SSH.
B
The security group does not allow outbound traffic, so responses cannot be sent.
Why wrong: Security groups are stateful; outbound rules are not required for response traffic. This is not the issue.
C
The security group allows HTTP only from the IP range 203.0.113.0/24.
Correct. The security group only allows HTTP from 203.0.113.0/24, which excludes many users, blocking access.
D
The security group does not allow inbound HTTP traffic.
Why wrong: Inbound HTTP is allowed (as implied by the scenario), so this is not the issue.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The security group allows HTTP only from the IP range 203.0.113.0/24.
Security groups are stateful: if inbound HTTP traffic is allowed, the corresponding outbound response traffic is automatically allowed, regardless of outbound rules. Therefore, missing outbound rules cannot prevent responses. The most likely issue is that the security group only allows HTTP from the IP range 203.0.113.0/24. Users outside that range will be blocked, even though the instance is in a public subnet with an internet gateway.
Key principle: Security group statefulness
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 security group allows SSH from a restricted IP, but not from the users.
Why it's wrong here
While SSH restriction exists, it does not affect web traffic; users cannot access the web server due to HTTP restriction, not SSH.
✗
The security group does not allow outbound traffic, so responses cannot be sent.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups are stateful; outbound rules are not required for response traffic. This is not the issue.
✓
The security group allows HTTP only from the IP range 203.0.113.0/24.
Why this is correct
Correct. The security group only allows HTTP from 203.0.113.0/24, which excludes many users, blocking access.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Security group statefulness
✗
The security group does not allow inbound HTTP traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Inbound HTTP is allowed (as implied by the scenario), so this is not the issue.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap is that candidates may incorrectly blame missing outbound rules, overlooking the stateful nature of security groups. The real issue is often a restrictive inbound rule that does not permit traffic from the users' IP ranges.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Inbound HTTP is allowed (as implied by the scenario), so this is not the issue.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS security groups are stateful for inbound traffic but require explicit outbound rules for responses to return to the client. When a web server sends HTTP responses, it uses ephemeral ports (typically 1024-65535) as source ports. Without an outbound rule allowing these ports to the client's IP range, the response packets are dropped by the security group, even though the inbound rule allowed the initial request. This is a common misconfiguration when security groups are created with default restrictive outbound rules.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Security group statefulness
Inbound rule restriction
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
Security group statefulness
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.
Visual reference
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review security group statefulness, then practise related SAP-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Security group statefulness.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The security group allows HTTP only from the IP range 203.0.113.0/24. — Security groups are stateful: if inbound HTTP traffic is allowed, the corresponding outbound response traffic is automatically allowed, regardless of outbound rules. Therefore, missing outbound rules cannot prevent responses. The most likely issue is that the security group only allows HTTP from the IP range 203.0.113.0/24. Users outside that range will be blocked, even though the instance is in a public subnet with an internet gateway.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review security group statefulness, then practise related SAP-C02 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?
Security group statefulness
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Question Discussion
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