Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company runs a multi-tier web application on Amazon EC2 instances. The security team wants to continuously monitor the configuration of the EC2 security groups to ensure that no security group allows inbound SSH (port 22) access from the entire internet (0.0.0.0/0). If a security group is modified to allow such access, the company must be automatically notified and provided with a detailed record of the change, including the user who made the change. Which combination of AWS services should the company use to meet these requirements?
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
Best answer
AWS Config with a managed rule to check for unrestricted SSH access, and Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) to send notifications when the rule is non-compliant.
AWS Config can evaluate security group rules against a managed rule like 'restricted-ssh' (or a custom rule) and trigger an SNS notification when a resource is non-compliant. CloudTrail logs the API calls that made the change, and AWS Config can include the related CloudTrail event in its compliance history.
B
Distractor review
AWS CloudTrail to log all API calls, and Amazon CloudWatch Logs to analyze the logs for security group modifications and trigger a notification.
CloudTrail logs API calls but does not evaluate the resulting configuration against rules. You would need additional processing (e.g., Lambda + CloudWatch Logs Insights) to check if the change resulted in a non-compliant rule, which is more complex and not a managed solution for compliance rules.
C
Distractor review
AWS Trusted Advisor to check for security groups with unrestricted SSH access on a periodic basis, and Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES) to send email alerts.
AWS Trusted Advisor checks for best practices but runs periodically (e.g., every 24 hours), not in real time. It cannot trigger immediate notifications based on configuration changes. It also does not provide a detailed record of who made the change.
D
Distractor review
AWS Systems Manager Inventory to collect configuration data from EC2 instances, and Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger a Lambda function that checks security group rules.
Systems Manager Inventory collects software inventory and OS configuration from instances, not security group configurations. It cannot monitor changes to security group resources themselves. This approach is not designed for evaluating AWS resource compliance.
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.
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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 developer needs to launch a test server for a new application prototype. The developer logs into the AWS Management Console, selects an Amazon EC2 instance type, configures the security group, and starts the instance. The instance is running within two minutes, and the developer did not need to submit a formal request to the company's IT procurement team or wait for approval from a cloud administrator. Which essential characteristic of cloud computing does this scenario best demonstrate?
Question 2
A solutions architect is planning a new web application on AWS. The workload will include 3 Amazon EC2 instances (t3.medium) running 24/7, an Application Load Balancer, and an Amazon RDS for MySQL db.t3.small database. The architect needs to estimate the monthly cost for the first year, considering different purchasing options (On-Demand, 1-year All Upfront Reserved Instance, and Compute Savings Plan). Which AWS tool should the architect use to create this estimate?
Question 3
A company's development team frequently needs temporary test environments. A developer can log into the AWS Management Console, select an Amazon EC2 instance type, configure storage, and launch the instance within minutes without any interaction with the IT infrastructure team. This capability is an example of which essential characteristic of cloud computing?
Question 4
A company's finance team needs to analyze AWS spending in detail. They require a report that includes hourly cost data for each AWS service, each individual resource (e.g., a specific EC2 instance), and any cost allocation tags applied. The team plans to export this data to an Amazon S3 bucket and then import it into a custom business intelligence (BI) analytics dashboard. Which AWS tool should the finance team use to generate this level of detailed cost data?
Question 5
A company uses AWS for its development environment. The finance team wants to set a monthly budget of $10,000. They want to receive an email notification when the actual costs reach 80% of the budget ($8,000) and again when costs exceed the budget. The team needs a managed AWS service that can automatically send these alerts without requiring custom code or third-party tools. Which AWS service should the team use?
Question 6
A company uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team needs to enforce a policy that restricts SSH access (port 22) from the internet (0.0.0.0/0) in all VPCs across all accounts. The team wants to centrally define the allowed rules and automatically apply them to newly created VPCs and security groups, while also automatically remediating any existing non-compliant security groups. Which AWS service should the team use?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-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: AWS Config with a managed rule to check for unrestricted SSH access, and Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) to send notifications when the rule is non-compliant. — AWS Config records resource configuration changes, evaluates them against managed or custom rules, and can trigger Amazon SNS notifications when a rule is non-compliant. AWS CloudTrail logs API calls (including who made the change), and AWS Config can link to the relevant CloudTrail event for auditing. This combination meets the requirement for continuous monitoring and automatic notification of non-compliant security group changes.
What should I do if I get this CLF-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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