Quick Answer
The answer is to combine Amazon RDS Database Activity Streams with Amazon GuardDuty. Database Activity Streams capture a near-real-time feed of all SQL operations and administrative actions on your Aurora MySQL instance, streaming this data directly to Amazon CloudWatch Logs and Amazon Kinesis. GuardDuty then consumes this stream to analyze the activity for suspicious patterns, such as unusual login attempts or SQL injection anomalies, using its threat detection intelligence. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of native, agentless database monitoring versus third-party or unrelated security tools. A common trap is confusing GuardDuty with AWS WAF (a web application firewall) or Amazon Inspector (focused on EC2 vulnerabilities), but remember: GuardDuty is the threat detection service that ingests data streams, while Database Activity Streams provide the granular audit trail. Memory tip: think "Streams feed GuardDuty" — the data flows from the database through the stream to the detective service.
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of database security. 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 designing a security strategy for an Amazon Aurora MySQL database. They need to ensure that database activity is monitored for suspicious behavior and that alerts are sent when anomalies are detected. Which AWS services should be combined to achieve this? (Select TWO.)
Amazon GuardDuty
GuardDuty can analyze database activity streams for threats.
Amazon RDS Database Activity Streams
Captures database activity for monitoring.
AWS WAF
Why wrong: WAF protects web applications, not databases.
Amazon EventBridge
Why wrong: EventBridge is for event routing, not anomaly detection.
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector assesses EC2 instances for vulnerabilities.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon GuardDuty
Options A and D are correct. Option A: Database Activity Streams send activity to CloudWatch Logs and Kinesis. Option D: Amazon GuardDuty can analyze the stream for threats. Option B is wrong because AWS WAF is for web application firewall. Option C is wrong because Amazon Inspector is for EC2 vulnerabilities. Option E is wrong because EventBridge can trigger alerts but is not a monitoring service for anomalies.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
GuardDuty can analyze database activity streams for threats.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon RDS Database Activity Streams
Why this is correct
Captures database activity for monitoring.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS WAF
Why it's wrong here
WAF protects web applications, not databases.
Amazon EventBridge
Why it's wrong here
EventBridge is for event routing, not anomaly detection.
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector assesses EC2 instances for vulnerabilities.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Database Security — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Database Security — This question tests Database Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon GuardDuty — Options A and D are correct. Option A: Database Activity Streams send activity to CloudWatch Logs and Kinesis. Option D: Amazon GuardDuty can analyze the stream for threats. Option B is wrong because AWS WAF is for web application firewall. Option C is wrong because Amazon Inspector is for EC2 vulnerabilities. Option E is wrong because EventBridge can trigger alerts but is not a monitoring service for anomalies.
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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