- A
AWS CloudTrail
AWS CloudTrail records API calls and can be configured as an organization trail to log activity across all accounts in AWS Organizations. It delivers log files to a specified S3 bucket, where encryption and immutability can be applied.
- B
AWS Config
Why wrong: AWS Config records configuration changes and evaluates resource compliance against rules, but it does not capture every API call. It can use CloudTrail as a data source, but it is not the primary service for recording API events.
- C
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: Amazon CloudWatch Logs is used to collect, monitor, and store log files from applications and AWS services. It does not natively record AWS API calls; CloudTrail can stream events to CloudWatch Logs, but CloudTrail itself is the service that captures the API events.
- D
AWS Audit Manager
Why wrong: AWS Audit Manager helps assess your usage of AWS services against compliance requirements and generates audit reports. It relies on evidence collected from services like CloudTrail, but it does not directly record API calls.
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 operates multiple AWS accounts under AWS Organizations. The security team needs to record all management events (for example, creating Amazon EC2 instances, modifying security groups, and deleting Amazon S3 buckets) across all accounts. The logs must be delivered to a single Amazon S3 bucket that is encrypted with an AWS KMS key and protected from modification. Which AWS feature should the team enable to achieve this centralized logging requirement?
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 CloudTrail
AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records all management events (API calls) across AWS accounts, and when configured as an organization trail in AWS Organizations, it automatically logs events from all member accounts to a single S3 bucket. This meets the requirement for centralized logging with encryption using AWS KMS and protection from modification via S3 bucket policies and versioning.
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 CloudTrail
Why this is correct
AWS CloudTrail records API calls and can be configured as an organization trail to log activity across all accounts in AWS Organizations. It delivers log files to a specified S3 bucket, where encryption and immutability can be applied.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config records configuration changes and evaluates resource compliance against rules, but it does not capture every API call. It can use CloudTrail as a data source, but it is not the primary service for recording API events.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs to track changes to AWS resource configurations (e.g., security group rules, S3 bucket policies) across multiple accounts and evaluate them against compliance rules. AWS Config would be the correct service to enable centralized configuration recording and auditing.
- ✗
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
Amazon CloudWatch Logs is used to collect, monitor, and store log files from applications and AWS services. It does not natively record AWS API calls; CloudTrail can stream events to CloudWatch Logs, but CloudTrail itself is the service that captures the API events.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs to centralize application and system logs (e.g., from EC2 instances, Lambda functions) from multiple accounts into a single S3 bucket for long-term storage and analysis. CloudWatch Logs with cross-account subscription filters would be the correct service to aggregate these logs.
- ✗
AWS Audit Manager
Why it's wrong here
AWS Audit Manager helps assess your usage of AWS services against compliance requirements and generates audit reports. It relies on evidence collected from services like CloudTrail, but it does not directly record API calls.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs to continuously assess compliance against predefined controls (e.g., PCI-DSS) across multiple accounts, with automated evidence collection and report generation. AWS Audit Manager would be the correct service to streamline audit preparation.
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 CloudTrailCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
AWS CloudTrail records API calls and can be configured as an organization trail to log activity across all accounts in AWS Organizations. It delivers log files to a specified S3 bucket, where encryption and immutability can be applied.
✗AWS ConfigWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
AWS Config records resource configuration changes and evaluates compliance, but it does not capture management events like API calls (e.g., creating EC2 instances). The question specifically requires recording management events, which is CloudTrail's function.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to track changes to AWS resource configurations (e.g., security group rules, S3 bucket policies) across multiple accounts and evaluate them against compliance rules. AWS Config would be the correct service to enable centralized configuration recording and auditing.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse AWS Config's configuration tracking with CloudTrail's event logging, or think Config can log all API actions because it records configuration changes that result from those actions.
✗Amazon CloudWatch LogsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Amazon CloudWatch Logs is used for monitoring, storing, and accessing log files from AWS resources, but it does not record management events like API calls across accounts. The requirement to capture management events across all accounts and deliver to a centralized S3 bucket is specifically a CloudTrail feature.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to centralize application and system logs (e.g., from EC2 instances, Lambda functions) from multiple accounts into a single S3 bucket for long-term storage and analysis. CloudWatch Logs with cross-account subscription filters would be the correct service to aggregate these logs.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse CloudWatch Logs with CloudTrail because both deal with logging, but CloudWatch Logs focuses on operational logs from applications and services, not on recording API management events for governance and auditing.
✗AWS Audit ManagerWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
AWS Audit Manager helps audit AWS usage by continuously evaluating controls, but it does not natively record and centralize management events like CloudTrail. It relies on CloudTrail logs for evidence, not as the primary event recorder.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to continuously assess compliance against predefined controls (e.g., PCI-DSS) across multiple accounts, with automated evidence collection and report generation. AWS Audit Manager would be the correct service to streamline audit preparation.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Audit Manager's audit and compliance focus with the logging and monitoring requirements of the question, assuming it can centralize event logs when it actually consumes them from other services.
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 CloudTrail for management events with AWS Config for configuration changes, or assume CloudWatch Logs can aggregate all account logs, but only CloudTrail provides the required centralized API activity logging across an organization.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail organization trails use a management account to create a trail that applies to all member accounts, with log delivery to a single S3 bucket that can be encrypted with a customer-managed KMS key. The bucket policy must grant the CloudTrail service principal (cloudtrail.amazonaws.com) write access, and enabling S3 bucket versioning and MFA delete protects logs from modification or deletion. This setup ensures immutable audit logs for compliance frameworks like PCI DSS or SOC 2.
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 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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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: AWS CloudTrail — AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records all management events (API calls) across AWS accounts, and when configured as an organization trail in AWS Organizations, it automatically logs events from all member accounts to a single S3 bucket. This meets the requirement for centralized logging with encryption using AWS KMS and protection from modification via S3 bucket policies and versioning.
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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