- A
Place the security appliances in a public subnet and route traffic through a NAT gateway.
Why wrong: NAT gateway is for outbound traffic only; inbound traffic would not be inspected.
- B
Create a transit gateway and attach the Direct Connect virtual interface to it. Then route traffic through the appliance subnets.
Why wrong: Transit gateway requires manual routing and does not inherently force traffic through appliances.
- C
Deploy a Gateway Load Balancer and create Gateway Load Balancer endpoints in each subnet. Update the route tables to point to the endpoints.
Gateway Load Balancer transparently forwards traffic to the firewall appliances and scales automatically.
- D
Set up a VPN connection from on-premises to the VPC and route traffic through the appliance subnets.
Why wrong: VPN is an alternative to Direct Connect, not a method to force traffic through appliances.
SCS-C02 Infrastructure Security Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 AWS Direct Connect to connect its on-premises data center to AWS. The company has a VPC with public and private subnets. The security team wants to ensure that all traffic between on-premises and the VPC goes through a set of security appliances (firewalls) deployed in the VPC. The appliances are in separate subnets. Currently, traffic is routed directly via the virtual private gateway. What is the MOST secure and scalable way to force traffic through the security appliances?
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
Deploy a Gateway Load Balancer and create Gateway Load Balancer endpoints in each subnet. Update the route tables to point to the endpoints.
Option A is correct because using a Gateway Load Balancer with Gateway Load Balancer endpoints in each subnet allows transparent traffic inspection and scaling. Option B is wrong because a transit gateway does not force traffic through appliances; it requires additional routing. Option C is wrong because a NAT gateway only handles outbound traffic. Option D is wrong because a VPN connection does not route through VPC appliances.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Place the security appliances in a public subnet and route traffic through a NAT gateway.
- ✗
Create a transit gateway and attach the Direct Connect virtual interface to it. Then route traffic through the appliance subnets.
Why it's wrong here
Transit gateway requires manual routing and does not inherently force traffic through appliances.
- ✓
Deploy a Gateway Load Balancer and create Gateway Load Balancer endpoints in each subnet. Update the route tables to point to the endpoints.
Why this is correct
Gateway Load Balancer transparently forwards traffic to the firewall appliances and scales automatically.
Related concept
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
- ✗
Set up a VPN connection from on-premises to the VPC and route traffic through the appliance subnets.
Why it's wrong here
VPN is an alternative to Direct Connect, not a method to force traffic through appliances.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
- Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
- Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
- The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
- Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
- Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
- Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related SCS-C02 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy a Gateway Load Balancer and create Gateway Load Balancer endpoints in each subnet. Update the route tables to point to the endpoints. — Option A is correct because using a Gateway Load Balancer with Gateway Load Balancer endpoints in each subnet allows transparent traffic inspection and scaling. Option B is wrong because a transit gateway does not force traffic through appliances; it requires additional routing. Option C is wrong because a NAT gateway only handles outbound traffic. Option D is wrong because a VPN connection does not route through VPC appliances.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related SCS-C02 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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