- A
AWS WAF
Why wrong: WAF protects at the application layer, not network layer DDoS.
- B
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why wrong: IAM manages access, not DDoS mitigation.
- C
Network ACLs
Why wrong: NACLs are stateless and not effective against DDoS.
- D
AWS Shield Advanced
Shield Advanced provides network and transport layer DDoS protection.
Question 337 of 1,748
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 runs a critical application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. The security team suspects that a DDoS attack is targeting the application. Which AWS service can be used to absorb and mitigate the attack at the network layer before traffic reaches the ALB?
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
✓
AWS Shield Advanced
AWS Shield Advanced provides enhanced protections against larger and more sophisticated DDoS attacks, including network-layer (Layer 3/4) attacks such as UDP floods, SYN floods, and reflection attacks. It integrates directly with Application Load Balancers to absorb and mitigate malicious traffic before it reaches the ALB, ensuring the application remains available. This makes it the correct choice for mitigating a DDoS attack at the network layer.
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.
- ✗
AWS WAF
Why it's wrong here
WAF protects at the application layer, not network layer DDoS.
- ✗
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why it's wrong here
IAM manages access, not DDoS mitigation.
- ✗
Network ACLs
Why it's wrong here
NACLs are stateless and not effective against DDoS.
- ✓
AWS Shield Advanced
Why this is correct
Shield Advanced provides network and transport layer DDoS protection.
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 AWS WAF (Layer 7) with network-layer protection, or assume that Network ACLs can handle DDoS attacks, but only AWS Shield Advanced provides dedicated, scalable mitigation for Layer 3/4 attacks at the network perimeter.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Shield Advanced uses always-on traffic monitoring and inline mitigation techniques, such as flow-based detection and BGP route announcements, to scrub malicious traffic at the AWS edge. It also provides access to the DDoS Response Team (DRT) and cost protection against scaling charges during an attack. Under the hood, Shield Advanced leverages AWS Global Accelerator and CloudFront to distribute traffic and absorb attacks closer to the source.
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
Quick reference
OSI Model Reference
| Layer | Name | PDU | Key Protocols / Devices |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Application | Data | HTTP, HTTPS, DNS, SMTP, FTP, SSH |
| 6 | Presentation | Data | TLS / SSL, JPEG, ASCII encoding |
| 5 | Session | Data | NetBIOS, RPC, SIP |
| 4 | Transport | Segment / Datagram | TCP, UDP |
| 3 | Network | Packet | IP, ICMP, OSPF — Routers |
| 2 | Data Link | Frame | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, PPP — Switches, Bridges |
| 1 | Physical | Bits | Cables, NICs, Hubs, Repeaters |
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: AWS Shield Advanced — AWS Shield Advanced provides enhanced protections against larger and more sophisticated DDoS attacks, including network-layer (Layer 3/4) attacks such as UDP floods, SYN floods, and reflection attacks. It integrates directly with Application Load Balancers to absorb and mitigate malicious traffic before it reaches the ALB, ensuring the application remains available. This makes it the correct choice for mitigating a DDoS attack at the network layer.
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
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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