- A
AWS Config with a managed rule to check for unrestricted SSH access, and Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) to send notifications when the rule is non-compliant.
AWS Config can evaluate security group rules against a managed rule like 'restricted-ssh' (or a custom rule) and trigger an SNS notification when a resource is non-compliant. CloudTrail logs the API calls that made the change, and AWS Config can include the related CloudTrail event in its compliance history.
- B
AWS CloudTrail to log all API calls, and Amazon CloudWatch Logs to analyze the logs for security group modifications and trigger a notification.
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls but does not evaluate the resulting configuration against rules. You would need additional processing (e.g., Lambda + CloudWatch Logs Insights) to check if the change resulted in a non-compliant rule, which is more complex and not a managed solution for compliance rules.
- C
AWS Trusted Advisor to check for security groups with unrestricted SSH access on a periodic basis, and Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES) to send email alerts.
Why wrong: AWS Trusted Advisor checks for best practices but runs periodically (e.g., every 24 hours), not in real time. It cannot trigger immediate notifications based on configuration changes. It also does not provide a detailed record of who made the change.
- D
AWS Systems Manager Inventory to collect configuration data from EC2 instances, and Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger a Lambda function that checks security group rules.
Why wrong: Systems Manager Inventory collects software inventory and OS configuration from instances, not security group configurations. It cannot monitor changes to security group resources themselves. This approach is not designed for evaluating AWS resource compliance.
CLF-C02 AWS Config 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. A key principle to apply: aWS Config. 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 multi-tier web application on Amazon EC2 instances. The security team wants to continuously monitor the configuration of the EC2 security groups to ensure that no security group allows inbound SSH (port 22) access from the entire internet (0.0.0.0/0). If a security group is modified to allow such access, the company must be automatically notified and provided with a detailed record of the change, including the user who made the change. Which combination of AWS services should the company use to meet these requirements?
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 with a managed rule to check for unrestricted SSH access, and Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) to send notifications when the rule is non-compliant.
AWS Config continuously monitors the configuration of AWS resources, including security groups, and can evaluate them against managed rules such as 'restricted-ssh' (which checks that inbound SSH traffic is not allowed from 0.0.0.0/0). When a security group becomes non-compliant, AWS Config can trigger an Amazon SNS notification to alert the security team, and the detailed configuration history (including the user who made the change via CloudTrail integration) is available in the AWS Config timeline. This combination directly meets the requirements for continuous monitoring, automatic notification, and a detailed record of the change.
Key principle: AWS Config
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 with a managed rule to check for unrestricted SSH access, and Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) to send notifications when the rule is non-compliant.
Why this is correct
AWS Config can evaluate security group rules against a managed rule like 'restricted-ssh' (or a custom rule) and trigger an SNS notification when a resource is non-compliant. CloudTrail logs the API calls that made the change, and AWS Config can include the related CloudTrail event in its compliance history.
Related concept
AWS Config
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail to log all API calls, and Amazon CloudWatch Logs to analyze the logs for security group modifications and trigger a notification.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls but does not evaluate the resulting configuration against rules. You would need additional processing (e.g., Lambda + CloudWatch Logs Insights) to check if the change resulted in a non-compliant rule, which is more complex and not a managed solution for compliance rules.
When this WOULD be correct
This combination would be correct if the requirement was to audit all API calls for security group modifications and trigger notifications based on specific API events (e.g., AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress) using CloudWatch Events, rather than continuously evaluating the configuration state.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor to check for security groups with unrestricted SSH access on a periodic basis, and Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES) to send email alerts.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Trusted Advisor checks for best practices but runs periodically (e.g., every 24 hours), not in real time. It cannot trigger immediate notifications based on configuration changes. It also does not provide a detailed record of who made the change.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Inventory to collect configuration data from EC2 instances, and Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger a Lambda function that checks security group rules.
Why it's wrong here
Systems Manager Inventory collects software inventory and OS configuration from instances, not security group configurations. It cannot monitor changes to security group resources themselves. This approach is not designed for evaluating AWS resource compliance.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs to continuously collect software inventory and patch compliance data from EC2 instances, and automatically remediate non-compliant instances by running a Systems Manager Automation document via CloudWatch Events.
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 Config with a managed rule to check for unrestricted SSH access, and Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) to send notifications when the rule is non-compliant.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
AWS Config can evaluate security group rules against a managed rule like 'restricted-ssh' (or a custom rule) and trigger an SNS notification when a resource is non-compliant. CloudTrail logs the API calls that made the change, and AWS Config can include the related CloudTrail event in its compliance history.
✗AWS CloudTrail to log all API calls, and Amazon CloudWatch Logs to analyze the logs for security group modifications and trigger a notification.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls but does not continuously evaluate security group configurations against a desired state; CloudWatch Logs requires custom log analysis and does not provide a managed rule for SSH access checks. This approach lacks automated compliance monitoring and notification without additional custom development.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This combination would be correct if the requirement was to audit all API calls for security group modifications and trigger notifications based on specific API events (e.g., AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress) using CloudWatch Events, rather than continuously evaluating the configuration state.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that logging all API calls with CloudTrail and analyzing logs with CloudWatch Logs is sufficient to detect changes, but they overlook the need for continuous compliance monitoring and the simplicity of AWS Config managed rules.
✗AWS Systems Manager Inventory to collect configuration data from EC2 instances, and Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger a Lambda function that checks security group rules.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
AWS Systems Manager Inventory collects configuration data from EC2 instances, not from security groups. It cannot monitor security group rules, and CloudWatch Events alone cannot provide detailed records of changes including the user who made them.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to continuously collect software inventory and patch compliance data from EC2 instances, and automatically remediate non-compliant instances by running a Systems Manager Automation document via CloudWatch Events.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Systems Manager Inventory with AWS Config, thinking it can track security group configurations, and overlook that CloudWatch Events lacks the detailed change recording and user identification capabilities of AWS Config.
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 Config's continuous compliance monitoring with AWS Trusted Advisor's periodic checks or AWS CloudTrail's logging-only capability, leading them to choose options that lack real-time evaluation or detailed change attribution.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config's managed rule 'restricted-ssh' evaluates security group rules against the condition that inbound SSH (port 22) is not allowed from 0.0.0.0/0; it uses the 'sourceIp' field in the security group rule to check for the exact CIDR. When a rule becomes non-compliant, AWS Config can publish a configuration item change to an SNS topic, and the detailed change record includes the 'userIdentity' field from CloudTrail, which captures the IAM user or role that made the modification. In a real-world scenario, this allows security teams to automatically revoke the rule or trigger a remediation via AWS Systems Manager Automation, ensuring rapid response to misconfigurations.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- AWS Config
- Managed AWS Config Rule
- Amazon SNS
- Configuration History
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
AWS Config
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.
Review aWS Config, then practise related CLF-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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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 — AWS Config.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Config with a managed rule to check for unrestricted SSH access, and Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) to send notifications when the rule is non-compliant. — AWS Config continuously monitors the configuration of AWS resources, including security groups, and can evaluate them against managed rules such as 'restricted-ssh' (which checks that inbound SSH traffic is not allowed from 0.0.0.0/0). When a security group becomes non-compliant, AWS Config can trigger an Amazon SNS notification to alert the security team, and the detailed configuration history (including the user who made the change via CloudTrail integration) is available in the AWS Config timeline. This combination directly meets the requirements for continuous monitoring, automatic notification, and a detailed record of the change.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Review aWS Config, then practise related CLF-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
AWS Config
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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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