- A
Amazon GuardDuty
Correct. Amazon GuardDuty uses machine learning and threat intelligence to analyze network traffic and logs for suspicious activity, including crypto-mining behavior, without requiring any agents.
- B
Amazon Macie
Why wrong: Incorrect. Amazon Macie is a data security service that uses machine learning to discover, classify, and protect sensitive data stored in Amazon S3. It does not analyze network traffic for threats like crypto-mining.
- C
AWS Config
Why wrong: Incorrect. AWS Config is a service that assesses, audits, and evaluates the configurations of your AWS resources against desired policies. It does not perform real-time threat detection or analyze network traffic patterns.
- D
Amazon Detective
Why wrong: Incorrect. Amazon Detective helps you analyze and investigate security findings by automatically collecting and correlating log data from multiple AWS sources. However, it does not proactively detect threats; it is used after a finding is surfaced by another service like GuardDuty.
Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon GuardDuty. This is the correct choice because GuardDuty is a managed threat detection service that uses machine learning and integrated threat intelligence to automatically detect crypto-mining on EC2 instances by analyzing unusual outbound network traffic patterns, such as connections to known mining pools, without requiring any agents installed on the instances. It continuously monitors VPC Flow Logs, DNS logs, and CloudTrail events, then generates detailed findings that specify the affected resource, threat type, and remediation steps. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of managed security services versus agent-based solutions; a common trap is choosing Amazon Inspector (which focuses on vulnerabilities, not network behavior) or third-party tools that require installation. Remember the memory tip: GuardDuty guards your duty by watching network traffic for dirty mining activity—no agents needed.
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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's security team is concerned about the risk of compromised Amazon EC2 instances being used for crypto-mining activities. They want a managed AWS service that can automatically detect unusual outbound network traffic patterns that are characteristic of crypto-mining, without requiring the installation of any agents on the instances. The team needs continuous monitoring and the ability to receive findings that include details about the suspicious activity. Which AWS service should the security team use?
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
Amazon GuardDuty
Amazon GuardDuty is a managed threat detection service that uses machine learning and integrated threat intelligence to continuously monitor for malicious activity, including unusual outbound network traffic patterns like those associated with crypto-mining. It operates at the AWS account and VPC level by analyzing DNS logs, VPC Flow Logs, and CloudTrail events, and it does not require any agents to be installed on EC2 instances. When suspicious activity is detected, GuardDuty generates detailed findings that include information about the affected resource, the type of threat, and recommended remediation steps.
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.
- ✓
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
Correct. Amazon GuardDuty uses machine learning and threat intelligence to analyze network traffic and logs for suspicious activity, including crypto-mining behavior, without requiring any agents.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Macie
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Amazon Macie is a data security service that uses machine learning to discover, classify, and protect sensitive data stored in Amazon S3. It does not analyze network traffic for threats like crypto-mining.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. AWS Config is a service that assesses, audits, and evaluates the configurations of your AWS resources against desired policies. It does not perform real-time threat detection or analyze network traffic patterns.
- ✗
Amazon Detective
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Amazon Detective helps you analyze and investigate security findings by automatically collecting and correlating log data from multiple AWS sources. However, it does not proactively detect threats; it is used after a finding is surfaced by another service like GuardDuty.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Amazon Detective's investigative capabilities with proactive detection, but Detective requires existing findings to analyze and does not perform continuous monitoring for crypto-mining traffic patterns on its own.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
GuardDuty's crypto-mining detection leverages its 'CryptoCurrency:EC2/BitcoinTool.B!DNS' finding type, which flags DNS queries to known cryptocurrency mining pools or domains. Under the hood, GuardDuty analyzes VPC Flow Logs for anomalous outbound connections on ports commonly used by mining protocols (e.g., stratum on TCP 3333, 4444, or 8332) and correlates these with threat intelligence feeds. In a real-world scenario, if an EC2 instance begins communicating with a known mining pool IP address, GuardDuty will generate a finding within minutes, even if the instance is behind a NAT gateway.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon GuardDuty — Amazon GuardDuty is a managed threat detection service that uses machine learning and integrated threat intelligence to continuously monitor for malicious activity, including unusual outbound network traffic patterns like those associated with crypto-mining. It operates at the AWS account and VPC level by analyzing DNS logs, VPC Flow Logs, and CloudTrail events, and it does not require any agents to be installed on EC2 instances. When suspicious activity is detected, GuardDuty generates detailed findings that include information about the affected resource, the type of threat, and recommended remediation steps.
What should I do if I get this CLF-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: Jun 11, 2026
This CLF-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 CLF-C02 exam.
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