- A
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: AWS CloudTrail logs all API calls made to the AWS environment, which is necessary for audit trails, but it does not analyze logs for threats or use machine learning to detect suspicious activity. It is a logging service, not a threat detection service.
- B
Amazon GuardDuty
Amazon GuardDuty is a managed threat detection service that continuously monitors for malicious or unauthorized behavior using machine learning and integrated threat intelligence. It analyzes CloudTrail logs, VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs, generates findings, and can trigger automated responses through AWS Lambda, meeting all the requirements.
- C
AWS Config
Why wrong: AWS Config is a service that evaluates your resource configurations against desired policies and tracks changes over time. It does not analyze API call logs for suspicious activity and does not use machine learning for threat detection.
- D
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Amazon Inspector is a vulnerability assessment service that scans EC2 instances and container images for software vulnerabilities and network exposure. It does not analyze AWS API calls or monitor for unauthorized activity in CloudTrail logs.
Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon GuardDuty. This managed security service is the correct choice because it uses machine learning and integrated threat intelligence to continuously analyze AWS API calls logged by CloudTrail, along with VPC Flow Logs and DNS logs, to detect suspicious activity and generate actionable findings. For the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of which service handles automated threat detection and response—a common trap is confusing GuardDuty with AWS CloudTrail, which only logs API calls without analyzing them, or with AWS Config, which tracks resource configuration changes. Remember that GuardDuty is the detective service that finds threats, while Lambda handles the automated remediation. A helpful memory tip: think of GuardDuty as the security guard on duty who watches the API call logs and raises alarms, not the one who writes the log book.
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 is preparing for a PCI DSS compliance audit. The security team needs to ensure that all AWS API calls are logged and that the logs are continuously analyzed for suspicious or unauthorized activity. The team wants a managed security service that uses machine learning to identify threats, generates findings for review, and can trigger automated remediation through AWS Lambda. Which AWS service should the team 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
Amazon GuardDuty
Amazon GuardDuty is a managed threat detection service that uses machine learning and integrated threat intelligence to continuously monitor AWS API calls (via CloudTrail), VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs for suspicious activity. It generates actionable security findings and can trigger automated remediation through AWS Lambda, making it the correct choice for the described requirements.
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 it's wrong here
AWS CloudTrail logs all API calls made to the AWS environment, which is necessary for audit trails, but it does not analyze logs for threats or use machine learning to detect suspicious activity. It is a logging service, not a threat detection service.
- ✓
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
Amazon GuardDuty is a managed threat detection service that continuously monitors for malicious or unauthorized behavior using machine learning and integrated threat intelligence. It analyzes CloudTrail logs, VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs, generates findings, and can trigger automated responses through AWS Lambda, meeting all the requirements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config is a service that evaluates your resource configurations against desired policies and tracks changes over time. It does not analyze API call logs for suspicious activity and does not use machine learning for threat detection.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Inspector is a vulnerability assessment service that scans EC2 instances and container images for software vulnerabilities and network exposure. It does not analyze AWS API calls or monitor for unauthorized activity in CloudTrail logs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse AWS CloudTrail's logging capability with GuardDuty's threat detection, overlooking that CloudTrail alone does not analyze logs or trigger automated responses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
GuardDuty ingests CloudTrail management and data events, VPC Flow Logs (using the AWS VPC Flow Logs format), and DNS query logs, then applies anomaly detection models and threat intelligence feeds (including AWS Security Hub and third-party sources) to generate findings. The service can automatically trigger Lambda functions via Amazon EventBridge rules, enabling near-real-time remediation such as isolating compromised instances or revoking IAM credentials.
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
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CLF-C02 practice test guide
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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: Amazon GuardDuty — Amazon GuardDuty is a managed threat detection service that uses machine learning and integrated threat intelligence to continuously monitor AWS API calls (via CloudTrail), VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs for suspicious activity. It generates actionable security findings and can trigger automated remediation through AWS Lambda, making it the correct choice for the described requirements.
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
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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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