- A
Create a new security group that allows inbound traffic from the web-sg security group on port 3306, then attach the new security group to the database instance.
Why wrong: This would require detaching the old security group, causing a brief interruption. It is better to modify the existing group.
- B
Modify the inbound rule of the db-sg security group to allow traffic from the web-sg security group on port 3306 and remove the rule allowing traffic from 0.0.0.0/0.
This change is immediate and does not affect running connections; new connections will be allowed only from web-sg.
- C
Update the network ACL for the database subnet to deny inbound traffic from 0.0.0.0/0 on port 3306.
Why wrong: NACLs are stateless and would affect return traffic; moreover, security group rules are more appropriate for this scenario.
- D
Move the RDS instance to a private subnet and update the application's database endpoint to use the new private IP address.
Why wrong: Moving to a private subnet requires downtime and changes to the endpoint, which is not minimal.
SCS-C02 Management and Security Governance Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of management and security governance. 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.
A company has a three-tier web application running on AWS. The application consists of an Application Load Balancer (ALB), an EC2 Auto Scaling group for web servers, and an RDS MySQL database. The Security team recently discovered that the database is publicly accessible from the internet. They need to remediate this immediately while minimizing downtime. The database is critical for the application, and the application must remain available. The team has identified that the database security group currently allows inbound traffic from 0.0.0.0/0 on port 3306. The web servers are in a security group named 'web-sg'. The database security group is named 'db-sg'. The team wants to restrict access to only the ALB and the web servers. Which action should the team take to resolve the issue with the least downtime?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Clue:
"immediately / without restart"Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
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
Modify the inbound rule of the db-sg security group to allow traffic from the web-sg security group on port 3306 and remove the rule allowing traffic from 0.0.0.0/0.
Option B is correct because modifying the db-sg security group to allow inbound traffic from the web-sg security group (instead of 0.0.0.0/0) on port 3306 directly restricts database access to only the web servers. This change is applied immediately without requiring any resource recreation or downtime, as security group rules are stateful and take effect in real time. Removing the overly permissive rule eliminates the public exposure while keeping the existing database endpoint and application connectivity intact.
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 a new security group that allows inbound traffic from the web-sg security group on port 3306, then attach the new security group to the database instance.
Why it's wrong here
This would require detaching the old security group, causing a brief interruption. It is better to modify the existing group.
- ✓
Modify the inbound rule of the db-sg security group to allow traffic from the web-sg security group on port 3306 and remove the rule allowing traffic from 0.0.0.0/0.
Why this is correct
This change is immediate and does not affect running connections; new connections will be allowed only from web-sg.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "least", "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Update the network ACL for the database subnet to deny inbound traffic from 0.0.0.0/0 on port 3306.
Why it's wrong here
NACLs are stateless and would affect return traffic; moreover, security group rules are more appropriate for this scenario.
- ✗
Move the RDS instance to a private subnet and update the application's database endpoint to use the new private IP address.
Why it's wrong here
Moving to a private subnet requires downtime and changes to the endpoint, which is not minimal.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think creating a new security group (Option A) is safer or less disruptive, but modifying the existing security group is immediate and causes zero downtime, whereas attaching a new group can cause a brief connectivity gap during the transition.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
NACLs are stateless and would affect return traffic; moreover, security group rules are more appropriate for this scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Security groups in AWS are stateful and support referencing other security groups as sources, which allows traffic from any instance in the source security group regardless of IP address changes. When you reference web-sg as the source in db-sg, only instances in web-sg can reach the database on port 3306, and the rule change propagates instantly without connection interruption. This approach leverages AWS's distributed firewall architecture, where security group rules are evaluated at the hypervisor level, ensuring minimal latency and no need for instance reboots.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Modify the inbound rule of the db-sg security group to allow traffic from the web-sg security group on port 3306 and remove the rule allowing traffic from 0.0.0.0/0. — Option B is correct because modifying the db-sg security group to allow inbound traffic from the web-sg security group (instead of 0.0.0.0/0) on port 3306 directly restricts database access to only the web servers. This change is applied immediately without requiring any resource recreation or downtime, as security group rules are stateful and take effect in real time. Removing the overly permissive rule eliminates the public exposure while keeping the existing database endpoint and application connectivity intact.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 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: "least", "immediately / without restart". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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 SCS-C02 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 SCS-C02 exam.
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