DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company is using Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition. The security team wants to audit all database login attempts and store the logs in Amazon S3 for 90 days. Which solution meets these requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?
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
✓
Enable the Aurora audit log and publish logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. Create a CloudWatch Logs subscription filter to stream the logs to an Amazon S3 bucket.
Amazon Aurora can publish audit logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. A CloudWatch Logs subscription filter can then stream those logs to an Amazon S3 bucket for long-term storage. This approach requires minimal operational overhead because it uses native AWS services without custom scripts or additional infrastructure. Option B is incorrect because Aurora does not support writing audit logs directly to S3. Option C is incorrect because installing a custom audit plugin and using a Lambda function introduces unnecessary complexity and operational overhead. Option D is incorrect because using Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose adds an extra streaming service that is not needed; a CloudWatch Logs subscription filter is simpler and more direct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable the Aurora audit log and publish logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. Create a CloudWatch Logs subscription filter to stream the logs to an Amazon S3 bucket.
Why this is correct
This uses managed services with minimal configuration.
- ✗
Enable the Aurora audit log and configure the DB cluster to publish logs directly to an S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora does not support direct log publishing to S3.
- ✗
Install a custom audit plugin on the Aurora cluster that writes logs to a file, then use an AWS Lambda function to upload the file to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Requires custom development and maintenance.
- ✗
Enable the Aurora audit log and use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose to stream the logs to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Aurora does not natively stream logs to Kinesis.
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 |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DBS-C01 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 DBS-C01 exam.