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 Shield Advanced to protect its web application against DDoS attacks. The application is behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB) with a web application firewall (AWS WAF) in front. The security team notices that some requests are being blocked by AWS WAF, but the source IP addresses are legitimate customers. What step should the team take to minimize false positives?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Implement rate-based rules with a count action and use the count data to create custom rules.
Option D is correct because rate-based rules allow legitimate traffic while limiting excessive requests. Option A is wrong because increasing the threshold may allow more attacks. Option B is wrong because using AWS Managed Rules for IP reputation could block legitimate IPs. Option C is wrong because reconfiguring the ALB idle timeout does not affect WAF blocking.
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.
✓
Implement rate-based rules with a count action and use the count data to create custom rules.
Why this is correct
Rate-based rules with count allow monitoring and adjusting thresholds to avoid false positives.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Switch to using AWS Managed Rules for IP reputation lists.
Why it's wrong here
IP reputation lists may block legitimate IPs if they are in a bad neighborhood.
✗
Increase the WAF rate-based rule threshold to allow more requests.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing threshold may allow more attack traffic.
✗
Reconfigure the ALB idle timeout to a higher value.
Why it's wrong here
Idle timeout is unrelated to WAF blocking decisions.
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 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.
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.
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: Implement rate-based rules with a count action and use the count data to create custom rules. — Option D is correct because rate-based rules allow legitimate traffic while limiting excessive requests. Option A is wrong because increasing the threshold may allow more attacks. Option B is wrong because using AWS Managed Rules for IP reputation could block legitimate IPs. Option C is wrong because reconfiguring the ALB idle timeout does not affect WAF blocking.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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