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Question 1,618 of 1,738

Infrastructure Security →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is to configure the ALB security group to allow inbound traffic only from the CloudFront origin IP ranges published by AWS. This works because security groups act as a virtual firewall at the instance or interface level, and by explicitly whitelisting CloudFront’s published IP address list, you ensure that only traffic originating from CloudFront’s global edge network can reach the ALB, blocking all other direct internet traffic. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of network-layer security controls versus application-layer or identity-based controls—a common trap is to assume CloudFront can use an IAM role to authenticate to the ALB, but ALBs do not support IAM-based authentication for incoming traffic. Another trap is thinking CloudFront requires a VPC origin or that the ALB can validate a user-agent header, both of which are unreliable. Memory tip: think of the security group as a bouncer checking a guest list—only IPs on CloudFront’s published list get past the door.

SCS-C02 Infrastructure Security Practice Question

This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. 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 uses Amazon CloudFront with an Application Load Balancer (ALB) as the origin. The security team wants to restrict access to the ALB so that it only accepts traffic from CloudFront. Which configuration should be used?

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
Configure the ALB to be internal and place it in a VPC with a CloudFront VPC origin.
Why wrong: CloudFront uses public endpoints; a VPC origin is for API Gateway or ALB in a VPC, but the ALB must be internet-facing for CloudFront to reach it.
B
Configure the ALB to require a specific header 'X-CloudFront-Origin' and reject requests without it.
Why wrong: CloudFront does not add such a header by default; custom headers can be added but are not a security mechanism because they can be spoofed.
C
Configure the ALB to use an IAM role that allows only CloudFront to invoke the ALB.
Why wrong: ALB does not use IAM for inbound traffic control; IAM is for authentication to AWS APIs, not for network traffic.
D
Configure the ALB security group to allow inbound traffic only from the CloudFront origin IP ranges published by AWS.
This restricts ALB access to CloudFront IPs, preventing direct internet access.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Configure the ALB security group to allow inbound traffic only from the CloudFront origin IP ranges published by AWS.

Option B is correct because configuring the ALB security group to allow traffic only from CloudFront's IP ranges ensures that only CloudFront can reach the ALB. Option A is wrong because CloudFront does not require a VPC origin; ALB is a regional endpoint. Option C is wrong because the ALB cannot authenticate the CloudFront user agent. Option D is wrong because CloudFront cannot use an IAM role to access the ALB.

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.

✗
Configure the ALB to be internal and place it in a VPC with a CloudFront VPC origin.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront uses public endpoints; a VPC origin is for API Gateway or ALB in a VPC, but the ALB must be internet-facing for CloudFront to reach it.
✗
Configure the ALB to require a specific header 'X-CloudFront-Origin' and reject requests without it.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFront does not add such a header by default; custom headers can be added but are not a security mechanism because they can be spoofed.
✗
Configure the ALB to use an IAM role that allows only CloudFront to invoke the ALB.
Why it's wrong here
ALB does not use IAM for inbound traffic control; IAM is for authentication to AWS APIs, not for network traffic.
✓
Configure the ALB security group to allow inbound traffic only from the CloudFront origin IP ranges published by AWS.
Why this is correct
This restricts ALB access to CloudFront IPs, preventing direct internet access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SCS-C02 question test?

Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Configure the ALB security group to allow inbound traffic only from the CloudFront origin IP ranges published by AWS. — Option B is correct because configuring the ALB security group to allow traffic only from CloudFront's IP ranges ensures that only CloudFront can reach the ALB. Option A is wrong because CloudFront does not require a VPC origin; ALB is a regional endpoint. Option C is wrong because the ALB cannot authenticate the CloudFront user agent. Option D is wrong because CloudFront cannot use an IAM role to access the ALB.

What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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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.