- A
AWS Config
Correct. AWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations and evaluates them against rules you define, such as encryption or public access policies. It provides a compliance dashboard and notifications for noncompliant resources.
- B
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Incorrect. Amazon Inspector is an automated vulnerability management service that scans workloads for software vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure. It does not evaluate resource configurations against custom security policies like 'EBS volumes must be encrypted'.
- C
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: Incorrect. AWS Trusted Advisor provides best practice checks and recommendations across five categories, including security. However, it does not continuously monitor resource configurations against custom rules defined by the customer, nor does it maintain a compliance status dashboard over time.
- D
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: Incorrect. AWS CloudTrail records API activity in your AWS account for auditing and governance. It does not evaluate resource configurations or monitor compliance with rules like encryption requirements or bucket public access settings.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Config. This service is the correct choice because it provides continuous resource configuration compliance by recording every change to your AWS resources and automatically evaluating those configurations against rules you define, such as requiring EBS volume encryption or blocking public S3 bucket access. It maintains a detailed compliance dashboard that tracks which resources are compliant or noncompliant over time, giving you a clear historical view. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of which service handles automated, ongoing policy enforcement versus one-time audits—a common trap is confusing AWS Config with AWS Trusted Advisor, which offers best-practice checks but not custom rule evaluation. Remember the memory tip: “Config keeps compliance continuous,” linking the name directly to its core function of configuration monitoring and rule-based evaluation.
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 wants to automatically evaluate its AWS resource configurations against internal security policies. The company has defined rules such as 'EBS volumes must be encrypted' and 'S3 buckets must not be publicly accessible'. They need a service that continuously monitors resource configurations, identifies noncompliant resources, and provides a dashboard of compliance status over time. 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 Config
AWS Config is the correct service because it continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations, evaluates them against custom rules (like 'EBS volumes must be encrypted' and 'S3 buckets must not be publicly accessible'), and provides a compliance dashboard that shows historical compliance status over time. It directly addresses the need for automated, ongoing evaluation of resource configurations against internal security policies.
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
Correct. AWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations and evaluates them against rules you define, such as encryption or public access policies. It provides a compliance dashboard and notifications for noncompliant resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Amazon Inspector is an automated vulnerability management service that scans workloads for software vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure. It does not evaluate resource configurations against custom security policies like 'EBS volumes must be encrypted'.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. AWS Trusted Advisor provides best practice checks and recommendations across five categories, including security. However, it does not continuously monitor resource configurations against custom rules defined by the customer, nor does it maintain a compliance status dashboard over time.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. AWS CloudTrail records API activity in your AWS account for auditing and governance. It does not evaluate resource configurations or monitor compliance with rules like encryption requirements or bucket public access settings.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing AWS Config's configuration compliance monitoring with Amazon Inspector's vulnerability scanning or Trusted Advisor's best-practice checks, leading candidates to choose a service that does not support custom rule definitions or continuous compliance dashboards.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config uses a rules engine that evaluates resource configurations against AWS-managed or custom Lambda-backed rules, triggering evaluations on configuration changes or at a periodic interval. The service maintains a configuration history and timeline for each resource, enabling point-in-time compliance views and drift detection. In a real-world scenario, if an S3 bucket is made public, AWS Config can trigger an automatic remediation action via AWS Systems Manager Automation to restore compliance.
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.
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 Config — AWS Config is the correct service because it continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations, evaluates them against custom rules (like 'EBS volumes must be encrypted' and 'S3 buckets must not be publicly accessible'), and provides a compliance dashboard that shows historical compliance status over time. It directly addresses the need for automated, ongoing evaluation of resource configurations against internal security policies.
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 →
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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