- A
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: Incorrect. GuardDuty is a threat detection service that monitors for malicious activity and unauthorized behavior using machine learning. It does not scan operating systems or applications for known CVEs or missing patches.
- B
Amazon Inspector
Correct. Amazon Inspector automatically assesses EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities (CVEs) and network exposure (e.g., open ports). It integrates with AWS Systems Manager to perform deep scans of the OS and application packages.
- C
AWS Security Hub
Why wrong: Incorrect. Security Hub provides a centralized view of security alerts and compliance status across multiple AWS services, but it does not perform vulnerability scanning itself. It would consume findings from Amazon Inspector, not replace it.
- D
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: Incorrect. Trusted Advisor checks for compliance with AWS best practices, including some security checks like whether security groups allow unrestricted access. However, it does not scan for CVEs or missing patches in installed software.
Quick Answer
Amazon Inspector is the correct choice because it is a natively integrated AWS service that performs automated vulnerability scanning for EC2 instances, identifying missing patches, common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs), and unintended network accessibility such as open ports to the internet. This directly meets the security team’s need for a central dashboard to view findings, either in the AWS Management Console or through AWS Security Hub. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of which AWS service handles both software vulnerability scanning and network exposure visibility, a common scenario for security-focused questions. A frequent trap is confusing Inspector with Amazon GuardDuty, which focuses on threat detection and anomalous behavior rather than vulnerability scanning. Remember: Inspector inspects for weaknesses, while GuardDuty guards against active threats. A helpful memory tip is to think of Inspector as your “patch and port checker” for EC2 instances.
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 runs a fleet of Amazon EC2 instances that host a customer-facing web application. The security team wants to automatically identify software vulnerabilities, such as missing patches and common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs), in the operating system and applications running on these instances. The team also needs visibility into unintended network accessibility, such as instances with ports open to the internet. The solution must be natively integrated with AWS and should provide findings that can be viewed in a central dashboard. 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 Inspector
Amazon Inspector is the correct choice because it is a vulnerability management service that automatically scans EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities (missing patches, CVEs) and unintended network accessibility (e.g., open ports to the internet). It is natively integrated with AWS and provides findings in a central dashboard via the AWS Management Console or AWS Security Hub. This directly matches the security team's requirements for automated identification of OS/application vulnerabilities and network exposure.
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 it's wrong here
Incorrect. GuardDuty is a threat detection service that monitors for malicious activity and unauthorized behavior using machine learning. It does not scan operating systems or applications for known CVEs or missing patches.
- ✓
Amazon Inspector
Why this is correct
Correct. Amazon Inspector automatically assesses EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities (CVEs) and network exposure (e.g., open ports). It integrates with AWS Systems Manager to perform deep scans of the OS and application packages.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Security Hub
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Security Hub provides a centralized view of security alerts and compliance status across multiple AWS services, but it does not perform vulnerability scanning itself. It would consume findings from Amazon Inspector, not replace it.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Trusted Advisor checks for compliance with AWS best practices, including some security checks like whether security groups allow unrestricted access. However, it does not scan for CVEs or missing patches in installed software.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Amazon GuardDuty (threat detection) with Amazon Inspector (vulnerability scanning), or assume AWS Security Hub performs the scanning itself rather than aggregating findings from other services.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Amazon Inspector uses an agent-based or agentless assessment methodology; for EC2, it deploys the AWS Systems Manager Agent (SSM Agent) to collect configuration and network data, then compares it against a library of over 1,200 rules (including CIS benchmarks and CVE databases). The network reachability assessment analyzes VPC flow logs and security group rules to identify ports accessible from the internet, providing a risk score for each finding. Under the hood, Inspector integrates with AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager to correlate missing patches with specific CVEs, enabling automated remediation workflows.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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 Inspector — Amazon Inspector is the correct choice because it is a vulnerability management service that automatically scans EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities (missing patches, CVEs) and unintended network accessibility (e.g., open ports to the internet). It is natively integrated with AWS and provides findings in a central dashboard via the AWS Management Console or AWS Security Hub. This directly matches the security team's requirements for automated identification of OS/application vulnerabilities and network exposure.
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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