- A
AWS Artifact
AWS Artifact is the correct service. It is a self-service portal for on-demand access to AWS compliance reports and agreements, such as SOC reports and PCI DSS Attestations of Compliance.
- B
AWS Config
Why wrong: AWS Config evaluates resource configurations and tracks compliance against rules, but it does not provide downloadable AWS compliance reports like SOC or PCI DSS AOC.
- C
AWS Audit Manager
Why wrong: AWS Audit Manager helps continuously audit AWS usage to simplify risk assessment and compliance. It assists in collecting evidence from customer workloads, but it does not provide the underlying AWS compliance reports.
- D
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: AWS Trusted Advisor provides recommendations for optimizing cost, performance, security, and fault tolerance, but it does not provide compliance reports or attestations from AWS.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Artifact, the correct service for downloading AWS compliance reports like SOC 2 and PCI DSS Attestations of Compliance (AOC). AWS Artifact provides on-demand, self-service access to these documents directly from the AWS Management Console, allowing you to retrieve them without contacting AWS support—exactly what an external auditor would require for verifying security controls. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of which service handles compliance documentation, often appearing as a scenario where an auditor needs proof of AWS’s underlying infrastructure controls. A common trap is confusing AWS Artifact with AWS Config or AWS Audit Manager, but remember: Artifact is the central repository for compliance reports, not for monitoring or auditing your own resources. For a quick memory tip, think “Artifact = Audit Reports To Inspect For Compliance,” linking the service name directly to its purpose of providing downloadable, published compliance evidence.
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 payment processing application on AWS that must comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). An external auditor requests a copy of the AWS SOC 2 report and the PCI DSS Attestation of Compliance (AOC) to verify the security controls of the underlying AWS infrastructure. The company needs to obtain these documents directly from AWS. Which AWS service should the company 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 Artifact
AWS Artifact is the correct service because it provides on-demand access to AWS compliance reports, including SOC 2 reports and PCI DSS Attestations of Compliance (AOC). These documents are published directly by AWS and can be downloaded from the AWS Artifact console without needing to contact AWS support, meeting the auditor's requirement for direct retrieval.
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 Artifact
Why this is correct
AWS Artifact is the correct service. It is a self-service portal for on-demand access to AWS compliance reports and agreements, such as SOC reports and PCI DSS Attestations of Compliance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config evaluates resource configurations and tracks compliance against rules, but it does not provide downloadable AWS compliance reports like SOC or PCI DSS AOC.
- ✗
AWS Audit Manager
Why it's wrong here
AWS Audit Manager helps continuously audit AWS usage to simplify risk assessment and compliance. It assists in collecting evidence from customer workloads, but it does not provide the underlying AWS compliance reports.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
AWS Trusted Advisor provides recommendations for optimizing cost, performance, security, and fault tolerance, but it does not provide compliance reports or attestations from AWS.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse AWS Artifact with AWS Audit Manager, mistakenly thinking Audit Manager provides the same compliance documents, when in fact Audit Manager is for creating custom audit frameworks, not for retrieving AWS's own published reports.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Artifact operates as a self-service portal that provides access to over 2,500 compliance documents, including ISO certifications, SOC reports, and PCI DSS AOCs. The documents are digitally signed and include the AWS SOC 2 Type II report, which covers controls over a minimum six-month period, and the PCI DSS AOC, which validates AWS's compliance as a Level 1 service provider. Users can also manage agreements like the Business Associate Addendum (BAA) directly through Artifact.
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.
- →
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Security and Compliance practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All CLF-C02 questions
1,024 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
CLF-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related CLF-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Cloud Concepts practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Concepts.
Security and Compliance practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
Cloud Technology and Services practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Technology and Services.
Billing, Pricing, and Support practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Billing, Pricing, and Support.
AWS shared responsibility model practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS shared responsibility model.
AWS IAM practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS IAM.
AWS pricing practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS pricing.
AWS support plans practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS support plans.
AWS S3 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS S3.
AWS EC2 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS EC2.
Practice this exam
Start a free CLF-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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 Artifact — AWS Artifact is the correct service because it provides on-demand access to AWS compliance reports, including SOC 2 reports and PCI DSS Attestations of Compliance (AOC). These documents are published directly by AWS and can be downloaded from the AWS Artifact console without needing to contact AWS support, meeting the auditor's requirement for direct retrieval.
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
2 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 healthcare company is migrating its application and patient data to AWS. To meet HIPAA requirements, the compliance officer must review and accept the AWS Business Associate Addendum (BAA). Additionally, the auditor requires the company to provide the latest AWS SOC 2 Type II report. The compliance officer needs a single self-service portal to access both documents directly from AWS. Which AWS service should the company use?
medium- A.AWS Config
- ✓ B.AWS Artifact
- C.AWS Trusted Advisor
- D.AWS Security Hub
Why B: AWS Artifact is the correct service because it provides a self-service portal for on-demand access to AWS compliance reports, including the Business Associate Addendum (BAA) and SOC 2 Type II reports. This directly meets the compliance officer's requirement to review and accept the BAA and provide the latest SOC 2 report from a single AWS portal.
Variation 2. A financial services company is undergoing an external audit. The auditor requests copies of AWS SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS compliance reports to validate the company's cloud infrastructure controls. Where can the company's compliance team obtain these reports in a centralized manner?
medium- A.AWS Config
- ✓ B.AWS Artifact
- C.AWS Audit Manager
- D.AWS Security Hub
Why B: AWS Artifact is the correct service because it provides a centralized, self-service portal for on-demand access to AWS compliance reports, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS. The compliance team can download these reports directly without needing to contact AWS support, making it the single source of truth for audit evidence.
Keep practising
More CLF-C02 practice questions
- A company publishes a message each time a new product is added to its catalogue. Three services need to receive this mes…
- A media company stores frequently accessed video thumbnails in Amazon S3. The thumbnails are read multiple times every d…
- A company needs a service to translate domain names (like www.example.com) into IP addresses, check the health of their…
- A startup runs an application on AWS and receives a monthly bill that charges exactly for the number of compute hours us…
- A financial institution runs its core banking application on-premises due to regulatory requirements. It has connected i…
- A company wants to run a MySQL database in AWS without managing database software installation, applying patches, settin…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.