- A
Public subnets with routes to the IGW
Public subnets host the NAT Gateway and possibly an ALB.
- B
NAT Gateway in a public subnet
NAT Gateway allows private instances outbound internet access.
- C
Virtual Private Gateway (VGW)
Why wrong: VGW is used for VPN connections to on-premises.
- D
Transit Gateway
Why wrong: Transit Gateway is for connecting multiple VPCs or VPNs, not required for internet.
- E
Internet Gateway (IGW) attached to the VPC
IGW enables internet access for public subnets.
Question 900 of 1,748
Internet Access from Private Subnets: IGW, NAT Gateway, and Routing
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 security engineer is designing a secure VPC architecture for a web application that must be accessible from the internet. The application runs on EC2 instances in private subnets. Which THREE components are required to provide secure internet connectivity?
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
✓
Public subnets with routes to the IGW
A is correct because public subnets require routes to the Internet Gateway (IGW) in their route tables to allow traffic from the internet to reach resources in those subnets. For the web application's EC2 instances in private subnets to initiate outbound internet connectivity (e.g., for software updates), a NAT Gateway must be placed in a public subnet with a route to the IGW, and the private subnet's route table must point 0.0.0.0/0 traffic to the NAT Gateway. The IGW attached to the VPC is the foundational component that enables bidirectional internet traffic for the VPC, but it must be explicitly associated with route tables of public subnets.
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.
- ✓
Public subnets with routes to the IGW
- ✓
NAT Gateway in a public subnet
- ✗
Virtual Private Gateway (VGW)
Why it's wrong here
VGW is used for VPN connections to on-premises.
- ✗
Transit Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Transit Gateway is for connecting multiple VPCs or VPNs, not required for internet.
- ✓
Internet Gateway (IGW) attached to the VPC
Why this is correct
IGW enables internet access for public subnets.
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 often confuse the Virtual Private Gateway (VGW) or Transit Gateway as alternatives for internet connectivity, but neither provides NAT or direct internet access; they are designed for hybrid networking and inter-VPC routing, respectively.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the NAT Gateway performs source network address translation (SNAT) by replacing the private IP of the EC2 instance with its own Elastic IP (EIP) in the public subnet, and the IGW performs destination NAT (DNAT) for responses back to the instance. The route table in the private subnet must have a default route (0.0.0.0/0) pointing to the NAT Gateway's ENI, while the public subnet's route table points 0.0.0.0/0 to the IGW. A common real-world scenario is when an application in a private subnet needs to download patches from the internet but must remain inaccessible from the internet; the NAT Gateway enables this outbound-only connectivity.
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.
Visual reference
What to study next
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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: Public subnets with routes to the IGW — A is correct because public subnets require routes to the Internet Gateway (IGW) in their route tables to allow traffic from the internet to reach resources in those subnets. For the web application's EC2 instances in private subnets to initiate outbound internet connectivity (e.g., for software updates), a NAT Gateway must be placed in a public subnet with a route to the IGW, and the private subnet's route table must point 0.0.0.0/0 traffic to the NAT Gateway. The IGW attached to the VPC is the foundational component that enables bidirectional internet traffic for the VPC, but it must be explicitly associated with route tables of public subnets.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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