- A
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs captures application logs and AWS service logs — it doesn't automatically record API call history with caller identity like CloudTrail.
- B
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config records configuration state changes — CloudTrail records who made each API call. Both complement each other but CloudTrail is the audit trail for user actions.
- C
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail records every API call with caller identity, timestamp, source IP, and parameters — enabling complete audit trails for user actions and configuration changes across all AWS accounts.
- D
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata — they don't record AWS API calls or user management actions.
Question 142 of 1,024
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 must maintain audit records of all user actions and configuration changes across their AWS accounts. Which AWS service should they enable to capture this information?
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 API activity and user actions across AWS accounts, providing a complete audit trail of all management and data plane operations. This includes who made changes, what actions were performed, and when they occurred, which is essential for maintaining audit records of user actions and configuration changes.
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 CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs captures application logs and AWS service logs — it doesn't automatically record API call history with caller identity like CloudTrail.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config records configuration state changes — CloudTrail records who made each API call. Both complement each other but CloudTrail is the audit trail for user actions.
- ✓
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail records every API call with caller identity, timestamp, source IP, and parameters — enabling complete audit trails for user actions and configuration changes across all AWS accounts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata — they don't record AWS API calls or user management actions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse AWS Config's resource configuration tracking with CloudTrail's API activity logging, but Config records the 'what' (resource state) while CloudTrail records the 'who, what, when, and how' (API calls and user identity).
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail delivers events in JSON format via the `aws cloudtrail lookup-events` API or through integration with Amazon S3 and CloudWatch Logs; it supports both management events (e.g., CreateVpc) and data events (e.g., GetObject on S3). A subtle behavior is that CloudTrail can be configured to log read-only events separately from write events, and it uses IAM roles and service-linked roles to ensure delivery even if the trail is misconfigured. In a real-world scenario, a security team might use CloudTrail to investigate a suspicious IAM role creation by correlating the `userIdentity` field with the `eventTime` and `sourceIPAddress`.
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.
- →
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 CloudTrail — AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records API activity and user actions across AWS accounts, providing a complete audit trail of all management and data plane operations. This includes who made changes, what actions were performed, and when they occurred, which is essential for maintaining audit records of user actions and configuration changes.
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 →
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.