Question

A company needs to apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances.

Which AWS service or feature provides this functionality?

A. Network ACLs
B. Security groups
C. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
D. AWS Config

Answer

B. Security groups

Explanation 1

The correct answer is B. Security groups. Security groups are virtual firewalls that control the inbound and outbound traffic for Amazon EC2 instances. They can be associated with one or more instances within a subnet and can specify rules based on protocols, ports, and source or destination IP addresses. Security groups are stateful, meaning that any changes to the rules are automatically applied to all instances that are associated with the security group.

Network ACLs are another option for applying security rules to a subnet, but they are not the best answer because they are stateless, meaning that they do not automatically allow return traffic for any allowed inbound or outbound traffic. Network ACLs also have lower priority than security groups, so they are only evaluated if there are no security group rules that apply to the traffic.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service that lets you provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services and your internal connected resources. It has nothing to do with applying security rules to a subnet.

AWS Config is a service that enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. It can help you monitor compliance with your security policies, but it does not provide the functionality of applying security rules to a subnet.

Explanation 2

The correct answer is B. Security groups. Security groups in AWS allow you to apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances.

Security Groups in AWS are essentially virtual firewalls for your Amazon EC2 instances. They are used to apply security rules to a subnet to control inbound and outbound traffic.

Here’s why they are important:

• Controlled Access: Security Groups allow you to specify which protocols, ports, and source IP ranges can reach your instances. This helps to limit access to only trusted and necessary sources.
• Layered Defense: They provide a layer of security at the instance level, not just at the subnet level. This means you can have different rules for different instances, even if they are in the same subnet.
• Stateful Inspection: Security Groups are stateful. If you send a request from your instance, the response traffic for that request is allowed to return, regardless of outbound security rules.
• Ease of Management: You can associate multiple instances with a single security group, and also associate multiple security groups with a single instance. This makes managing and updating your security rules easier.
• Default Deny: All inbound traffic is denied by default, and you must explicitly open the ports for inbound traffic. This reduces the risk of unwanted exposure.

In summary, Security Groups provide a flexible and powerful tool for managing the security of your EC2 instances.

Explanation 3

The AWS service that provides security rules for a subnet in Amazon EC2 instances is option B: Security groups.

Security groups act as virtual firewalls for your instances, controlling inbound and outbound traffic. They allow you to define fine-grained rules at the instance level to regulate network traffic. When you launch an EC2 instance, you can associate one or more security groups with it.

Here’s a detailed explanation of each option:

A. Network ACLs (Access Control Lists) are another AWS service that helps control inbound and outbound traffic at the subnet level. They operate at the network level and can filter traffic based on IP addresses, subnets, and port numbers. While they provide additional security, they are stateless and do not offer the same level of granular control as security groups.

B. Security groups, as mentioned earlier, are associated with individual instances. They act as virtual firewalls, controlling inbound and outbound traffic. You can define rules to allow or deny specific types of traffic based on source IP, destination IP, port number, and protocol. Security groups are stateful, meaning that if you allow inbound traffic, it automatically allows the response traffic.

C. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service provided by AWS to manage SSL/TLS certificates for your applications running on AWS resources. It simplifies the process of provisioning, deploying, and renewing SSL/TLS certificates. While ACM is an essential service for securing your applications, it does not provide security rule functionality for subnets or EC2 instances.

D. AWS Config is a service that helps you assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. It provides a detailed inventory of your resources and continuously monitors their configurations for compliance with desired settings. While AWS Config plays a crucial role in maintaining compliance and auditing configurations, it does not directly provide security rule functionality for subnets or EC2 instances.

In summary, security groups are the AWS service that allows you to apply security rules at the subnet level for Amazon EC2 instances. They act as virtual firewalls, controlling inbound and outbound traffic to your instances based on defined rules.

Explanation 4

The answer to your question is (B) Security groups.

Amazon EC2 instances can be associated with security groups, which are security controls that can be applied to a subnet to restrict traffic to and from the instances. Security groups can be used to control inbound and outbound traffic based on protocol, port, source and destination IP addresses, and other criteria.

Security groups provide a flexible and scalable way to control access to EC2 instances, and they are a fundamental security concept in AWS. They are also easily integratable with other AWS security services, such as Network ACLs and IAM roles, to provide a comprehensive security solution for your AWS infrastructure.

In contrast, Network ACLs (Access Control Lists) are used to control traffic at the network level, applying to traffic entering or leaving a subnet. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is used to manage SSL/TLS certificates for your AWS resources, and AWS Config is used to manage the configuration of AWS resources.

I hope this helps!

Explanation 5

The answer is B. Security groups.

Here is the detailed explanation:

Amazon EC2 instances can be placed within subnets in a VPC (Virtual Private Cloud). Security groups act as a virtual firewall that controls inbound and outbound traffic for EC2 instances within a subnet. Security groups are stateful – responses to allowed inbound traffic will be allowed outbound.

The key points:

• Security groups can be applied at the instance level or the subnet level to control network access for all instances within the subnet. This matches the question requirement of applying rules to a subnet.
• Network ACLs operate at the subnet level but are not configurable from the instance level. They control whether traffic is allowed in or out of a subnet.
• AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) manages SSL/TLS certificates, but does not provide network access control functionality.
• AWS Config records configuration of AWS resources for auditing purposes, but does not directly control network access.

Therefore, the best answer among the options provided is B – Security Groups, as this AWS service allows defining ingress and egress rules that can be applied to control network access for all EC2 instances placed within a specific subnet, as required by the question.

Explanation 6

To apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances, you can use:

B. Security Groups.

Security groups provide a way to control inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level. You can specify which IP addresses and ports can access your instances, and which instances can access other IP addresses and ports. This feature is available in the Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) service, which is part of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform.

Network ACLs (access control lists) are also available in VPC, but they are used to control traffic at the subnet level, rather than the instance level. ACM (AWS Certificate Manager) is a service that manages SSL/TLS certificates for your domains, but it does not provide security rules for EC2 instances. AWS Config is a service that helps you configure and manage your AWS resources, but it does not provide security rules for EC2 instances either.

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Security Groups. 😊

I hope this helps!

Explanation 7

The correct answer is B. Security groups.

Security groups in Amazon Web Services (AWS) provide the functionality to apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances. A security group acts as a virtual firewall that controls inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level. It acts as a rule set that determines what network traffic is allowed to reach the instances associated with the security group.

Here’s a comprehensive explanation of each option:

A. Network ACLs (Access Control Lists): Network ACLs are an optional layer of security for your VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) that operates at the subnet level. They function as a stateless firewall and control inbound and outbound traffic based on rules you define. While network ACLs can control traffic flow between subnets, they are not specifically designed for securing individual EC2 instances within a subnet.

B. Security groups: Security groups are the primary means of controlling inbound and outbound traffic for EC2 instances. They act as virtual firewalls and are associated with individual instances or a group of instances within a subnet. You can define rules in a security group to allow or deny specific types of traffic based on protocols, ports, and IP addresses. Security groups operate at the instance level, providing granular control over traffic flow.

C. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM): AWS Certificate Manager is a service that simplifies the process of provisioning, managing, and deploying SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services. While SSL/TLS certificates enhance security by encrypting network traffic, they are not directly related to applying security rules to subnets or EC2 instances.

D. AWS Config: AWS Config is a service that provides a detailed inventory of your AWS resources and records configuration changes over time. It helps assess resource configurations for compliance, security, and operational best practices. While AWS Config can assist with monitoring and maintaining security compliance, it does not directly provide the functionality to apply security rules to subnets or EC2 instances.

In summary, when it comes to applying security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances, security groups are the appropriate AWS service to use. They offer the flexibility and granularity to define inbound and outbound traffic rules at the instance level, providing an effective means of securing your EC2 instances within a subnet.

Explanation 8

The answer is B. Security groups.

Security groups are used to control inbound and outbound traffic to and from EC2 instances. They can be used to allow or deny traffic based on IP address, port number, protocol, and other criteria. Network ACLs can also be used to control traffic to and from subnets, but they are not as granular as security groups. They can only be used to allow or deny traffic based on IP address, port number, and protocol. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is used to manage and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates. AWS Config is used to monitor and audit the configuration of AWS resources.

Explanation 9

The correct answer is B. Security groups.

A security group is a virtual firewall that enables you to control traffic to and from instances associated with it. You can specify an allow rule to permit inbound traffic on a specific port and protocol and a deny rule to block all inbound traffic on a specific port and protocol.

Security groups are stateful, so if you allow inbound traffic on a specific port and protocol, all incoming traffic on that port and protocol will be permitted, regardless of the subnet the instance is in.

In contrast, Network ACLs (A) are used to control traffic at the subnet level and are stateless. They don’t provide granular control over individual instances.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) (C) is used to manage SSL/TLS certificates for your domain. It doesn’t provide security rules for EC2 instances.

AWS Config (D) is a service that records and reports on configuration changes made to AWS resources, such as EC2 instances. It doesn’t provide security rules for EC2 instances.

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Security groups.

Explanation 10

The AWS service or feature that provides security rules for a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances is Security groups. Security groups are used to control inbound and outbound traffic to Amazon EC2 instances. They act as a virtual firewall that controls the traffic for one or more instances. When you launch an instance in a VPC, you can assign up to five security groups to the instance.

Security group rules are always permissive; you can’t create rules that deny access. Security group rules enable you to filter traffic based on protocols and port numbers. Security groups are stateful—if you send a request from your instance, the response traffic for that request is allowed to flow in regardless of inbound security group rules.

I hope this helps!

Explanation 11

The correct answer is B. Security groups.

Security groups are a feature of Amazon EC2 that allow you to apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances. Security groups act as a virtual firewall for your instances, controlling both inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level. You can specify one or more security groups when you launch an instance, and you can modify the rules for a security group at any time. The new rules are automatically applied to all instances that are associated with the security group.

Network ACLs are another feature of Amazon VPC that allow you to apply security rules to a subnet for all traffic entering or leaving the subnet. Network ACLs are stateless, meaning that they do not automatically allow return traffic. You have to explicitly add rules to allow inbound and outbound traffic. Network ACLs are useful for creating an additional layer of security for your VPC, but they are not as flexible and granular as security groups.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service that lets you provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services and your internal connected resources. ACM certificates can be used to secure network communications and establish the identity of websites over the internet. ACM is not related to applying security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances.

AWS Config is a service that enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. AWS Config continuously monitors and records your AWS resource configurations and allows you to automate the evaluation of recorded configurations against desired configurations. AWS Config can help you with compliance, security analysis, change management, and operational troubleshooting. AWS Config is not related to applying security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances.

Explanation 12

The correct answer is B. Security groups. Security groups are AWS services that provide stateful firewalls for Amazon EC2 instances. They allow you to specify rules that control the inbound and outbound traffic for your instances. You can assign security groups to your instances and subnets to protect them from unauthorized access.

Network ACLs are also AWS services that provide stateless firewalls for your subnets, but they are not the best answer because they are an additional layer of security, not the primary one.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is an AWS service that lets you provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates for your AWS resources, such as ELB load balancers, Amazon CloudFront distributions, and APIs on API Gateway. It is not related to applying security rules to subnets.

AWS Config is an AWS service that enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. It can help you monitor compliance with your security policies, but it does not provide the functionality of applying security rules to subnets.

Explanation 13

The correct answer is B. Security groups.

Security groups in Amazon Web Services (AWS) provide the functionality to apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances. Security groups act as virtual firewalls that control inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level. They allow you to define rules that specify the allowed traffic based on protocols, ports, and IP addresses.

Here’s a comprehensive explanation of the options:

A. Network ACLs (Access Control Lists) are another AWS service that provides network-level security for subnets. They operate at the subnet level and control inbound and outbound traffic based on rules. However, security groups are more commonly used for instance-level security, while network ACLs are used for subnet-level security.

B. Security groups are the correct answer. They are associated with individual instances and provide stateful filtering of traffic. This means that any inbound traffic allowed by a security group automatically allows the response traffic to flow out, simplifying the management of network security.

C. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service that simplifies the process of managing SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services. While it enhances security by providing and managing certificates, it is not directly related to applying security rules to subnets for EC2 instances.

D. AWS Config is a service that enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. It helps you ensure compliance with your desired configurations and provides a detailed view of the configuration changes over time. However, it does not directly provide the functionality to apply security rules to subnets for EC2 instances.

In summary, when it comes to applying security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances, the appropriate AWS service or feature to use is security groups (option B).

Explanation 14

The correct answer is B. Security groups. Security groups are virtual firewalls that control the inbound and outbound traffic for Amazon EC2 instances. They can be associated with one or more instances within a subnet and can specify rules based on protocols, ports, and source or destination IP addresses. Security groups are stateful, meaning that any changes to the rules are automatically applied to all instances associated with the security group.

Network ACLs are another option for applying security rules to a subnet, but they are not the best answer because they are stateless and less granular than security groups. Network ACLs operate at the subnet level and evaluate traffic entering and exiting a subnet. They can also specify rules based on protocols, ports, and IP addresses, but they do not keep track of the state of connections. Therefore, any response traffic must be explicitly allowed by the rules.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service that lets you provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services and your internal connected resources. It has nothing to do with applying security rules to a subnet.

AWS Config is a service that enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. It can monitor and record configuration changes of your resources and evaluate them against desired configurations or best practices. It can also trigger actions or notifications when configuration changes violate rules. However, it does not provide the functionality of applying security rules to a subnet.

Explanation 15

Network ACLs are AWS services that provide security for a subnet by acting as firewalls to control traffic in and out of the subnet. Network ACLs are sets of rules that you can apply to one or more subnets in your VPC. Each rule specifies the protocol, port range, source and destination IP address or CIDR block, and the action (allow or deny) for the traffic. You can use network ACLs to filter both inbound and outbound traffic at the subnet level. Network ACLs are stateless, meaning that they do not automatically allow the response traffic for any allowed inbound or outbound traffic. You have to explicitly define the rules for both directions.

Security groups are virtual firewalls that control the inbound and outbound traffic for an EC2 instance. They are not associated with a subnet directly, but rather with an EC2 instance. Security groups are stateful, meaning that they automatically allow the response traffic for any allowed inbound traffic, and vice versa.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service that allows you to provision, manage, and deploy SSL/TLS certificates for your AWS resources, such as load balancers, CloudFront distributions, API Gateway endpoints, and more. It is not associated with a subnet directly, but rather with a resource that requires encryption.

AWS Config is a service that allows you to monitor and audit your AWS resources and configurations. It is not associated with a subnet directly, but rather with a resource that requires compliance.

Explanation 16

The correct answer is A. Network ACLs.

Network ACLs (NACLs) are a layer of security for your VPC that can be used to control traffic in and out of one or more subnets. You can create rules that allow or deny traffic based on the source IP address, port, and protocol.

Security groups are also used to control traffic to and from EC2 instances, but they are applied at the instance level, while network ACLs are applied at the subnet level. This means that network ACLs can be used to control traffic to and from all instances in a subnet, regardless of which security groups they are associated with.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) and AWS Config are both useful services, but they do not provide the functionality of applying security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances.

Here is a table that summarizes the differences between network ACLs, security groups, AWS Certificate Manager (ACM), and AWS Config:

Feature	Network ACL	Security group	AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)	AWS Config
Firewall for subnets	Yes	No	No	No
Firewall for EC2 instances	No	Yes	No	No
Manage SSL/TLS certificates	No	No	Yes	Yes
Monitors AWS resources for configuration changes	No	No	Yes	Yes

I hope this helps!

Explanation 17

A. Network ACLs

Explanation:
The AWS service that provides the functionality to apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances is Network ACLs (Access Control Lists).

Detailed Explanation:

• Network ACLs: Network ACLs are AWS services that provide control over inbound and outbound traffic at the subnet level within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). They operate as stateless firewalls, allowing you to define rules that control the traffic flow into and out of a subnet.
• Inbound and Outbound Rules: Network ACLs use rules to allow or deny traffic based on factors such as the protocol, port range, and source/destination IP addresses. These rules are evaluated in a sequential order.
• Subnet-Level Control: Network ACLs are associated with subnets in a VPC. This allows you to apply security rules to all resources within a specific subnet.
• Stateless: Network ACLs are stateless, meaning that if you allow incoming traffic from a specific IP address, you must also explicitly allow the corresponding response traffic to go out.

Incorrect Options:

• B. Security Groups: Security Groups are used to control inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level. They are associated with individual EC2 instances and provide more fine-grained control than Network ACLs.
• C. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM): AWS Certificate Manager is used to manage SSL/TLS certificates for secure communication over the network. It’s not used for applying security rules to subnets.
• D. AWS Config: AWS Config is a service that helps you assess, audit, and evaluate the configuration changes of your AWS resources. It’s not used for applying security rules to subnets; it’s focused on tracking and managing resource configurations.

In summary, Network ACLs are the correct AWS service to use when applying security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances.

Explanation 18

The correct answer is A. Network ACLs.

Network ACLs (NACLs) are used to control inbound and outbound traffic at the subnet level. You can use NACLs to allow or deny traffic based on the source IP address, port, and protocol.

Security groups are also used to control traffic to and from EC2 instances, but they are applied at the instance level, while NACLs are applied at the subnet level. This means that NACLs can be used to control traffic to and from all instances in a subnet, regardless of which security groups they are associated with.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) and AWS Config are both useful services, but they do not provide the functionality to apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances.

Here is a table that summarizes the differences between NACLs, security groups, ACM, and Config:

Feature	Network ACL	Security group	AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)	AWS Config
Apply security rules to a subnet	Yes	No	No	No
Apply security rules to an EC2 instance	No	Yes	No	Yes
Manage SSL/TLS certificates	No	No	Yes	Yes
Track AWS resource configurations	No	No	No	Yes

I hope this helps!

Explanation 19

The correct answer to the question is A. Network ACLs.

Here’s a detailed explanation:

When a company needs to apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances, the AWS service or feature that provides this functionality is Network ACLs. Here’s why:

Network ACLs:

• Network ACLs (Access Control Lists) are an AWS service that enables the control of inbound and outbound traffic at the subnet level.
• They act as a virtual firewall for subnets, allowing you to define rules that control traffic flow in and out of the subnet.
• Network ACLs operate at the IP level and evaluate traffic based on rules defined for each subnet.
• They are stateless, meaning that each network packet is evaluated independently based on the rules defined in the Network ACL.
• By default, all inbound and outbound traffic is denied unless explicitly allowed by the rules specified in the Network ACL.

Now let’s briefly explain the other options, which are not the correct answer:

B. Security Groups:

• While security groups are also a crucial component for controlling inbound and outbound traffic, they operate at the instance level, not the subnet level.
• Security groups act as virtual firewalls for EC2 instances, allowing you to define rules that control traffic flow to and from the instances.

C. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM):

• AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service that allows the management and provisioning of SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services.
• ACM is not related to applying security rules to a subnet for EC2 instances.

D. AWS Config:

• AWS Config is a service that provides a detailed inventory of AWS resources and tracks their configuration changes over time.
• While it helps with resource configuration management and monitoring, it does not directly provide functionality for applying security rules to subnets.

To summarize, while all the options mentioned have their own specific purposes, the correct AWS service or feature that provides the functionality to apply security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances is Network ACLs (option A).

Explanation 20

The correct answer is A. Network ACLs.

Network ACLs (NACLs) are a layer of security for your VPC that act as a firewall for controlling traffic in and out of one or more subnets. You can use NACLs to allow or deny traffic based on the source IP address, port, and protocol.

Security groups are also used to control traffic to and from EC2 instances, but they are applied at the instance level, while NACLs are applied at the subnet level. This means that NACLs can be used to control traffic to and from all instances in a subnet, regardless of which security groups they are associated with.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) and AWS Config are both useful services, but they do not provide the functionality of applying security rules to a subnet for Amazon EC2 instances. ACM is used to manage SSL/TLS certificates for your AWS resources, and AWS Config is used to track and audit the configuration of your AWS resources.

Here is a table that summarizes the differences between NACLs, security groups, ACM, and Config:

Feature	Network ACL	Security group	ACM	Config
Firewall for subnets	Yes	No	No	No
Firewall for EC2 instances	No	Yes	No	No
Manage SSL/TLS certificates	No	No	Yes	No
Track and audit configuration	No	No	Yes	Yes

I hope this helps!

Reference

• Control traffic to subnets using network ACLs – Amazon Virtual Private Cloud
• Security group rules for different use cases – Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud
• Subnets for your VPC – Amazon Virtual Private Cloud
• Security group rules – Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud
• Amazon EC2 security groups for Linux instances – Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud
• amazon ec2 – Multiple EC2 security groups – permissive or restrictive? – Server Fault

Amazon AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Amazon AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam and earn Amazon AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification.

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