- A
AWS Config
AWS Config continuously evaluates resource configurations against rules and can automatically remediate non-compliant resources, such as enabling encryption on S3 buckets.
- B
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: AWS Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks and recommendations but does not offer continuous monitoring or automatic remediation of resource configurations.
- C
AWS Security Hub
Why wrong: AWS Security Hub aggregates and prioritizes security findings from various AWS services, but it does not directly evaluate resource configurations or perform automatic remediation actions.
- D
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: AWS CloudTrail records API activity for auditing and governance, but it does not evaluate resource configurations or enforce compliance policies.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Config. This service is the correct choice because it continuously monitors and evaluates your AWS resource configurations against desired policies, such as requiring server-side encryption on all S3 buckets. Using a managed AWS Config rule like s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled, you can automatically detect any bucket that lacks encryption, and with auto-remediation via Systems Manager Automation or Lambda, AWS Config can automatically apply the encryption setting to bring non-compliant buckets back into compliance. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how AWS Config provides governance and compliance automation, often appearing as a trap where you might confuse it with CloudTrail (which logs API calls) or Trusted Advisor (which offers best-practice checks but lacks auto-remediation). A simple memory tip: think of AWS Config as the "compliance cop" that both catches violations and fixes them on the spot.
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 uses multiple AWS accounts to store data in Amazon S3. The security team wants to enforce a policy that all S3 buckets must have server-side encryption enabled. The team needs a service that can continuously monitor all S3 bucket configurations across all accounts, automatically detect any bucket that does not have encryption enabled, and automatically apply the encryption setting to bring the bucket into compliance. Which AWS service should the 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
AWS Config
AWS Config is the correct service because it provides continuous monitoring and evaluation of AWS resource configurations against desired policies. Using a managed rule like 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled', AWS Config can automatically detect S3 buckets that lack server-side encryption and, through AWS Config rules with auto-remediation (via Systems Manager Automation or Lambda), automatically apply the encryption setting to bring non-compliant buckets into compliance.
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.
- ✓
AWS Config
Why this is correct
AWS Config continuously evaluates resource configurations against rules and can automatically remediate non-compliant resources, such as enabling encryption on S3 buckets.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
AWS Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks and recommendations but does not offer continuous monitoring or automatic remediation of resource configurations.
- ✗
AWS Security Hub
Why it's wrong here
AWS Security Hub aggregates and prioritizes security findings from various AWS services, but it does not directly evaluate resource configurations or perform automatic remediation actions.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
AWS CloudTrail records API activity for auditing and governance, but it does not evaluate resource configurations or enforce compliance policies.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config's monitoring and remediation capabilities with AWS Security Hub's aggregation or Trusted Advisor's advisory checks, forgetting that only AWS Config can both detect and automatically fix non-compliant resource configurations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config evaluates resource configurations against rules defined in AWS Config managed rules or custom Lambda functions. For auto-remediation, you can attach an AWS Systems Manager Automation document (e.g., 'AWS-ConfigureS3BucketEncryption') or a custom Lambda function to the Config rule, which triggers when a resource is marked non-compliant. This ensures that even if a bucket is created without encryption, it is automatically corrected within minutes, maintaining continuous compliance without manual intervention.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
- →
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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CLF-C02 practice test guide
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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: AWS Config — AWS Config is the correct service because it provides continuous monitoring and evaluation of AWS resource configurations against desired policies. Using a managed rule like 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled', AWS Config can automatically detect S3 buckets that lack server-side encryption and, through AWS Config rules with auto-remediation (via Systems Manager Automation or Lambda), automatically apply the encryption setting to bring non-compliant buckets into compliance.
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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