- A
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Amazon Inspector is a vulnerability management service that assesses workloads for software vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure. It does not monitor API calls or detect compromised credentials, and it does not use threat intelligence feeds for known malicious IP addresses in the same way GuardDuty does.
- B
AWS Config
Why wrong: AWS Config is a compliance and resource inventory service that evaluates resource configurations against desired policies. It is not designed for real-time threat detection; it does not analyze API calls or incorporate threat intelligence.
- C
Amazon GuardDuty
Amazon GuardDuty is the correct service. It continuously monitors AWS accounts and workloads for malicious activity, using machine learning and integrated threat intelligence. It can monitor multiple accounts via AWS Organizations and send findings to CloudWatch Events for automated actions.
- D
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: AWS CloudTrail records API activity in your account, providing an audit log. However, CloudTrail does not automatically analyze logs for threats or generate findings. To detect threats from CloudTrail logs, you need additional services like Amazon GuardDuty or Amazon Detective.
Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon GuardDuty. This managed threat detection service uses machine learning and integrated threat intelligence to continuously monitor AWS environments for suspicious activity, including unusual API calls, traffic from known malicious IP addresses, and anomalous behavior that might indicate a compromised resource. For the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of how GuardDuty fulfills the specific need for a managed, ML-driven threat detection service that integrates with AWS Organizations for multi-account monitoring and with Amazon CloudWatch Events for automated response triggers. A common trap is confusing GuardDuty with AWS Inspector, which focuses on vulnerability scanning rather than behavioral threat detection. Remember the key distinction: GuardDuty watches for *active threats* using ML and threat intelligence, while Inspector checks for *vulnerabilities* in workloads. A helpful memory tip is to think of GuardDuty as the "security guard on duty" that never sleeps, using machine learning to spot the unusual.
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 wants to continuously monitor their AWS environment for potential security threats such as unusual API calls, traffic from known malicious IP addresses, and anomalous behavior that might indicate a compromised resource. They need a managed threat detection service that uses machine learning to identify suspicious activity and generates detailed findings. The service should integrate with AWS Organizations to monitor multiple accounts and with Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger automated responses. 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 AWS environments for suspicious activity, such as unusual API calls, traffic from known malicious IP addresses, and anomalous behavior. It integrates natively with AWS Organizations to enable multi-account monitoring and with Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger automated remediation workflows, directly matching all requirements in the question.
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 Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Inspector is a vulnerability management service that assesses workloads for software vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure. It does not monitor API calls or detect compromised credentials, and it does not use threat intelligence feeds for known malicious IP addresses in the same way GuardDuty does.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config is a compliance and resource inventory service that evaluates resource configurations against desired policies. It is not designed for real-time threat detection; it does not analyze API calls or incorporate threat intelligence.
- ✓
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
Amazon GuardDuty is the correct service. It continuously monitors AWS accounts and workloads for malicious activity, using machine learning and integrated threat intelligence. It can monitor multiple accounts via AWS Organizations and send findings to CloudWatch Events for automated actions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
AWS CloudTrail records API activity in your account, providing an audit log. However, CloudTrail does not automatically analyze logs for threats or generate findings. To detect threats from CloudTrail logs, you need additional services like Amazon GuardDuty or Amazon Detective.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing a vulnerability scanning service (Inspector) or a configuration auditing service (Config) with a dedicated threat detection service that uses machine learning and threat intelligence to identify active threats like compromised credentials or malicious IP traffic.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
GuardDuty analyzes AWS CloudTrail management and data events, VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs using anomaly detection and threat intelligence feeds (e.g., from CrowdStrike, Proofpoint, and AWS internal sources). Its findings are structured as JSON objects with severity levels (Low, Medium, High) and can be sent to CloudWatch Events for automated response via Lambda or Step Functions, enabling near-real-time security orchestration across an entire AWS Organization.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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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 AWS environments for suspicious activity, such as unusual API calls, traffic from known malicious IP addresses, and anomalous behavior. It integrates natively with AWS Organizations to enable multi-account monitoring and with Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger automated remediation workflows, directly matching all requirements in the question.
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.
About these practice questions
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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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