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CV0-004 Host-based firewall Practice Question
A company's IaaS environment has a high rate of failed login attempts to a critical database server. The security team wants to temporarily block the source IPs after 5 failed attempts within 10 minutes. Which security control should be implemented?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume a WAF can protect any server, but WAFs only filter HTTP/HTTPS traffic. For database servers, host-based firewalls with dynamic rule updates are the practical solution.
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
✓
Configure host-based firewall rules on each database server.
Host-based firewall rules on each database server can be configured to dynamically block source IPs after a threshold of failed login attempts. For example, tools like fail2ban can monitor authentication logs and automatically update the host-based firewall (e.g., iptables or Windows Firewall) to temporarily block IPs that exceed the failure limit. This provides precise, dynamic control without relying on a centralized appliance. Option A is incorrect because TLS mutual authentication secures the connection but does not block IPs. Option B is incorrect because a WAF only inspects HTTP/HTTPS traffic, not database protocols like MySQL or PostgreSQL. Option C is incorrect because a CASB is designed for cloud application access, not database server protection.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable TLS mutual authentication for the database.
Why it's wrong here
TLS mutual authentication secures the connection but does not block IPs after failed login attempts.
- ✗
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with rate-limiting rules.
Why it's wrong here
A WAF inspects HTTP/HTTPS traffic only, not database protocols, so it cannot block failed login attempts to a database server.
- ✗
Implement a cloud access security broker (CASB).
Why it's wrong here
A CASB manages access to cloud applications, not database servers.
- ✓
Configure host-based firewall rules on each database server.
Why this is correct
Host-based firewalls, combined with log monitoring tools like fail2ban, can dynamically block IPs after a configured number of failed login attempts within a time window.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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