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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.

Which THREE are AWS best practices for securing an Amazon EC2 instance? (Choose three.)

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

A
Store database credentials in instance metadata for easy retrieval.
Why wrong: Instance metadata is not secure; use AWS Secrets Manager or Parameter Store.
B
Launch instances in the default VPC for easier network configuration.
Why wrong: The default VPC has permissive rules; it is better to create a custom VPC with controlled access.
C
Use security groups to control inbound and outbound traffic.
Security groups are the primary mechanism for controlling network traffic to EC2 instances.
D
Disable password-based authentication and use SSH key pairs instead.
Key pairs provide stronger authentication than passwords.
E
Regularly apply security patches using AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager.
Patch Manager automates the process of patching instances.

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

✓

Use security groups to control inbound and outbound traffic.

Security groups act as a virtual firewall for an EC2 instance, controlling inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level. By default, security groups are stateful and allow only explicitly permitted traffic, which is a fundamental AWS best practice for network security. Using security groups helps implement the principle of least privilege by restricting access to only necessary ports and protocols.

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.

✗
Store database credentials in instance metadata for easy retrieval.
Why it's wrong here
Instance metadata is not secure; use AWS Secrets Manager or Parameter Store.
✗
Launch instances in the default VPC for easier network configuration.
Why it's wrong here
The default VPC has permissive rules; it is better to create a custom VPC with controlled access.
✓
Use security groups to control inbound and outbound traffic.
Why this is correct
Security groups are the primary mechanism for controlling network traffic to EC2 instances.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Disable password-based authentication and use SSH key pairs instead.
Why this is correct
Key pairs provide stronger authentication than passwords.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Regularly apply security patches using AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager.
Why this is correct
Patch Manager automates the process of patching instances.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may think instance metadata is a secure place to store credentials because it is convenient, but AWS explicitly warns against this due to the risk of exposure through SSRF or other instance-level vulnerabilities.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Security groups evaluate all inbound and outbound traffic against their rules, which are stateful—meaning if you allow inbound traffic on a port, the outbound response is automatically allowed regardless of outbound rules. This stateful behavior differs from network ACLs, which are stateless and require explicit rules for both directions. In a real-world scenario, misconfiguring security groups (e.g., allowing 0.0.0.0/0 on SSH port 22) is a common cause of data breaches, emphasizing the need for least-privilege rules.

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 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 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?

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: Use security groups to control inbound and outbound traffic. — Security groups act as a virtual firewall for an EC2 instance, controlling inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level. By default, security groups are stateful and allow only explicitly permitted traffic, which is a fundamental AWS best practice for network security. Using security groups helps implement the principle of least privilege by restricting access to only necessary ports and protocols.

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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

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.