- A
AWS Config
AWS Config uses managed rules like iam-user-mfa-enabled to continuously evaluate IAM users and report non-compliance. This matches the requirement for automated detection and reporting without custom code.
- B
IAM Access Analyzer
Why wrong: IAM Access Analyzer analyzes resource-based policies to identify resources that are shared with external entities, not to check IAM user MFA settings. It does not provide compliance reporting for user configurations.
- C
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: AWS Trusted Advisor includes a security check for MFA on root account, but it does not evaluate MFA for all IAM users, nor does it provide continuous compliance automation with custom reporting.
- D
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Amazon Inspector assesses network and software vulnerabilities on EC2 instances and containers. It does not monitor IAM user configurations or MFA status.
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 requires all IAM users to have multi-factor authentication (MFA) enabled for AWS Management Console access. The security team needs an automated way to continuously detect any IAM user without an MFA device and generate a compliance report. The solution must not require custom code. 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 correct because it provides a managed, rules-based evaluation of AWS resource configurations. By enabling the 'iam-user-mfa-enabled' managed rule, AWS Config continuously checks all IAM users for the presence of an MFA device and can automatically trigger remediation actions or generate compliance reports via AWS Config aggregators, all without any custom code.
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 uses managed rules like iam-user-mfa-enabled to continuously evaluate IAM users and report non-compliance. This matches the requirement for automated detection and reporting without custom code.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
IAM Access Analyzer
Why it's wrong here
IAM Access Analyzer analyzes resource-based policies to identify resources that are shared with external entities, not to check IAM user MFA settings. It does not provide compliance reporting for user configurations.
When this WOULD be correct
A company wants to identify IAM roles or resources that are accessible from outside its AWS account (e.g., to detect unintended public access). IAM Access Analyzer would be the correct service to generate findings about such external access.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
AWS Trusted Advisor includes a security check for MFA on root account, but it does not evaluate MFA for all IAM users, nor does it provide continuous compliance automation with custom reporting.
When this WOULD be correct
A company wants a high-level security assessment of their AWS account, including checks for MFA on the root account, open security groups, and other best practices, without needing to set up custom rules or manage resources. AWS Trusted Advisor would be the correct service for this out-of-the-box dashboard.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Inspector assesses network and software vulnerabilities on EC2 instances and containers. It does not monitor IAM user configurations or MFA status.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs to automatically assess EC2 instances for common software vulnerabilities and network exposures. Amazon Inspector would be the correct service to run automated security assessments and generate findings reports without custom code.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CLF-C02 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓AWS ConfigCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
AWS Config uses managed rules like iam-user-mfa-enabled to continuously evaluate IAM users and report non-compliance. This matches the requirement for automated detection and reporting without custom code.
✗IAM Access AnalyzerWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
IAM Access Analyzer is designed to analyze resource policies to identify resources shared with external entities, not to detect IAM users without MFA devices. It does not provide continuous compliance monitoring or reporting for MFA status.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company wants to identify IAM roles or resources that are accessible from outside its AWS account (e.g., to detect unintended public access). IAM Access Analyzer would be the correct service to generate findings about such external access.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'Access Analyzer' with a tool that analyzes IAM user configurations, including MFA status, because the name suggests it analyzes access settings. They overlook that its actual purpose is external access analysis.
✗AWS Trusted AdvisorWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
AWS Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks, including MFA on root account, but it does not continuously detect IAM users without MFA devices or generate custom compliance reports. It lacks the granularity to check all IAM users and cannot be configured for automated remediation or custom rules.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company wants a high-level security assessment of their AWS account, including checks for MFA on the root account, open security groups, and other best practices, without needing to set up custom rules or manage resources. AWS Trusted Advisor would be the correct service for this out-of-the-box dashboard.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Trusted Advisor's security checks with the ability to monitor all IAM users, or assume it can be used for continuous compliance monitoring because it provides recommendations.
✗Amazon InspectorWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Amazon Inspector is a vulnerability management service that scans for software vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure, not for IAM user MFA compliance. It cannot detect or report on IAM user MFA status.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to automatically assess EC2 instances for common software vulnerabilities and network exposures. Amazon Inspector would be the correct service to run automated security assessments and generate findings reports without custom code.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'security assessment' with 'compliance checking' and assume Inspector can evaluate IAM configurations, or they may not know the specific capabilities of each AWS security service.
Analysis generated from the official CLF-C02blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Trusted Advisor's root account MFA check with the broader requirement to check all IAM users, or they mistakenly think IAM Access Analyzer can audit user-level security settings like MFA.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config evaluates resources against desired configurations using managed or custom rules. The 'iam-user-mfa-enabled' rule checks the 'MFADevices' attribute of each IAM user resource; if the list is empty, the resource is marked as noncompliant. AWS Config can then stream compliance data to Amazon S3 or SNS for reporting, and you can use AWS Config advanced queries to generate custom compliance reports across accounts and regions.
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: AWS Config — AWS Config is correct because it provides a managed, rules-based evaluation of AWS resource configurations. By enabling the 'iam-user-mfa-enabled' managed rule, AWS Config continuously checks all IAM users for the presence of an MFA device and can automatically trigger remediation actions or generate compliance reports via AWS Config aggregators, all without any custom code.
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 →
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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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