- A
Amazon Inspector
Amazon Inspector is the correct service. It is a vulnerability management service that automatically scans EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities and network exposure, providing a managed solution for scheduling scans and viewing findings in the AWS Management Console.
- B
AWS Shield
Why wrong: AWS Shield is a managed DDoS protection service. It does not perform vulnerability scanning or check for CVEs on EC2 instances. Its purpose is to protect against distributed denial-of-service attacks.
- C
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that continuously monitors for malicious activity and unauthorized behavior by analyzing AWS CloudTrail logs, VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs. It does not scan for known vulnerabilities or insecure configurations on EC2 instances.
- D
AWS WAF
Why wrong: AWS WAF is a web application firewall that helps protect web applications from common web exploits like SQL injection and cross-site scripting. It does not perform vulnerability scanning on EC2 instances or check for CVEs.
Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon Inspector, the correct choice because it is a fully managed vulnerability management service designed specifically to automatically scan EC2 instances for CVEs and network exposure, including identifying insecure ports or unintended access paths. It meets the security team’s requirements by supporting scheduled weekly scans and presenting all findings directly in the AWS Management Console, eliminating the need for manual agent management. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of which AWS service handles automated vulnerability scanning versus other security tools like AWS Shield (for DDoS protection) or AWS Config (for compliance rules). A common trap is confusing Amazon Inspector with Amazon GuardDuty, but remember: Inspector looks inward at EC2 vulnerabilities and network exposure, while GuardDuty monitors for external threats. Memory tip: “Inspector inspects your EC2 for CVEs and open doors.”
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's security team needs to run automated vulnerability scans on all Amazon EC2 instances in their production environment. They require a managed service that checks for common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) and identifies insecure network configurations. The scans must be scheduled to run weekly and the results must be viewable in the AWS Management Console. 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
Amazon Inspector
Amazon Inspector is a managed vulnerability management service that automatically scans EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities (CVEs) and unintended network exposure. It supports scheduled recurring scans (e.g., weekly) and integrates with the AWS Management Console to display findings, making it the correct choice for the team's requirements.
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 this is correct
Amazon Inspector is the correct service. It is a vulnerability management service that automatically scans EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities and network exposure, providing a managed solution for scheduling scans and viewing findings in the AWS Management Console.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Shield
Why it's wrong here
AWS Shield is a managed DDoS protection service. It does not perform vulnerability scanning or check for CVEs on EC2 instances. Its purpose is to protect against distributed denial-of-service attacks.
- ✗
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that continuously monitors for malicious activity and unauthorized behavior by analyzing AWS CloudTrail logs, VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs. It does not scan for known vulnerabilities or insecure configurations on EC2 instances.
- ✗
AWS WAF
Why it's wrong here
AWS WAF is a web application firewall that helps protect web applications from common web exploits like SQL injection and cross-site scripting. It does not perform vulnerability scanning on EC2 instances or check for CVEs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing Amazon Inspector (vulnerability scanning) with Amazon GuardDuty (threat detection) or AWS Shield (DDoS protection), as all three are security services but serve fundamentally different purposes—candidates often pick GuardDuty because it 'detects threats' without realizing it does not scan for CVEs or network configurations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Amazon Inspector uses an agent-based or agentless assessment methodology; the agent (for EC2) performs network reachability checks and collects system configuration data, then compares it against a knowledge base of CVEs and CIS benchmarks. Scans can be triggered via Amazon EventBridge rules for scheduling, and findings are published to AWS Security Hub for centralized visibility. A subtle behavior: Inspector's network reachability checks analyze security group rules to identify ports open to the internet, which is distinct from traditional CVE scanning.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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 Inspector — Amazon Inspector is a managed vulnerability management service that automatically scans EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities (CVEs) and unintended network exposure. It supports scheduled recurring scans (e.g., weekly) and integrates with the AWS Management Console to display findings, making it the correct choice for the team's requirements.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on CLF-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A security team wants to automatically scan their Amazon EC2 instances for known software vulnerabilities (CVEs) and assess whether any instances have unintended network access paths open. Which AWS service performs these automated security assessments?
medium- A.Amazon GuardDuty
- B.Amazon Macie
- ✓ C.Amazon Inspector
- D.AWS Shield
Why C: Amazon Inspector is the correct service because it is specifically designed to perform automated vulnerability scans (including CVEs) and network reachability assessments on EC2 instances. It uses a combination of AWS security best practices and common vulnerability databases to identify software vulnerabilities and unintended network access paths, such as open ports or overly permissive security groups.
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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