Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company's security policy requires that all Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL instances be encrypted at rest using AWS Key Management Service (KMS) customer managed keys and have automated backups enabled with a retention period of at least 30 days. A SysOps administrator needs to use AWS Config to automatically detect any RDS instance that is non-compliant with either requirement and automatically remediate it. Which combination of AWS Config managed rules and remediation actions should be used?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Use two AWS Config managed rules: 'rds-instance-encrypted' and 'rds-backup-enabled'. Configure each rule with an automatic remediation action that triggers an Amazon CloudWatch alarm, which then invokes an AWS Lambda function to enable encryption and backups.
While this could work, it is not the most efficient. CloudWatch alarms are not designed to be triggered directly by Config rule compliance changes. The native remediation integration in AWS Config uses Systems Manager Automation runbooks, which are simpler and do not require custom Lambda code.
B
Distractor review
Create custom AWS Config rules as AWS Lambda functions that evaluate the RDS instance configuration. In the Lambda function, if a resource is non-compliant, call the RDS API to enable encryption and modify backup settings.
Custom rules require writing and maintaining Lambda code. Managed rules already exist for both requirements, reducing operational overhead. The automatic remediation should use pre-built runbooks when possible.
C
Best answer
Use the AWS Config managed rules 'rds-instance-encrypted' and 'rds-backup-enabled'. Configure automatic remediation for each rule using the corresponding AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook: 'AWSConfigRemediation-EnableRDSInstanceEncryption' and 'AWSConfigRemediation-EnableRDSInstanceBackup'.
This is the correct approach. Managed rules evaluate compliance, and automatic remediation using Systems Manager Automation runbooks applies the fix without custom code. The runbooks perform the necessary API calls to enable encryption and backups, meeting the policy requirements.
D
Distractor review
Use a single custom AWS Config rule that checks both encryption and backup settings. If non-compliant, trigger an AWS Lambda function that uses the RDS API to configure both settings.
Although this reduces the number of rules, it requires writing and maintaining a custom rule and Lambda function. The use of managed rules for each requirement is simpler and leverages AWS best practices. Also, combining two checks into one rule makes it harder to manage separate remediation actions.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Related practice questions
Related SOA-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A company uses Amazon CloudFront to deliver content to a global audience. The origin is an Application Load Balancer in us-east-1. The SysOps administrator wants to reduce costs by minimizing the number of requests that reach the origin server. Which action should the administrator take?
Question 2
A company runs a batch processing application on Amazon EC2 that runs for 2 hours every night. The workload can tolerate interruptions. Which EC2 purchasing option provides the lowest cost for this use case?
Question 3
A SysOps administrator needs to monitor the CPU utilization of an Amazon RDS DB instance and receive an alarm when CPU utilization exceeds 80% for 5 consecutive minutes. Which AWS service should be used to create this alarm?
Question 4
A company runs a critical web application on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application uses session stickiness (sticky sessions) to maintain user sessions. The SysOps administrator notices that when instances are replaced during a scale-in or failure event, users lose their session data. The administrator needs to preserve session data across instance failures without losing stickiness benefits. What should the administrator do?
Question 5
A company runs a production web application on a single Amazon EC2 instance. The application experiences a predictable and steady workload 24/7. The SysOps administrator wants to minimize compute costs for this instance while ensuring it remains available during the expected workload. Which EC2 purchasing option should the administrator use?
Question 6
A company has a VPC with public and private subnets. The private subnets host application servers that need to make outbound HTTPS connections to the internet. The SysOps administrator must implement a solution that provides outbound internet connectivity while preventing inbound connections from the internet. Additionally, the solution must allow the company to control which domains the application servers can access. Which solution should the administrator implement?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use the AWS Config managed rules 'rds-instance-encrypted' and 'rds-backup-enabled'. Configure automatic remediation for each rule using the corresponding AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook: 'AWSConfigRemediation-EnableRDSInstanceEncryption' and 'AWSConfigRemediation-EnableRDSInstanceBackup'. — AWS Config provides managed rules for both requirements: 'rds-instance-encrypted' checks if RDS instances are encrypted, and 'rds-backup-enabled' checks if backups are enabled (and can specify the retention period). To automatically remediate non-compliant resources, the administrator can configure AWS Config rules with automatic remediation actions that use AWS Systems Manager Automation runbooks. For encryption, the runbook 'AWSConfigRemediation-EnableRDSInstanceEncryption' can enable encryption (requires creating a snapshot and restoring). For backups, the runbook 'AWSConfigRemediation-EnableRDSInstanceBackup' can enable backups. Option A is incorrect because CloudWatch alarms cannot modify RDS settings. Option B is incorrect because Lambda can be used, but the question asks for minimal custom code; Systems Manager Automation runbooks are pre-built and preferred. Option D is incorrect because the rules exist as managed rules.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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