This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of 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 uses AWS CloudTrail to log all API calls. The security team wants to be notified immediately when an IAM user creates a new access key. Which solution is most efficient?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "immediately / without restart"
Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the CreateAccessKey API call and triggers a Lambda function to send an SNS notification.
Option B is correct because CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) can directly match the CreateAccessKey API call from CloudTrail and trigger a Lambda function to send an SNS notification in near real-time. This is the most efficient solution as it avoids the overhead of log ingestion, metric filters, or periodic queries, providing immediate notification with minimal latency.
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.
✗
Configure CloudTrail to send logs to CloudWatch Logs and create a metric filter with an alarm.
Why it's wrong here
This works but is slower than CloudWatch Events.
✓
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the CreateAccessKey API call and triggers a Lambda function to send an SNS notification.
Why this is correct
This provides real-time notification.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable CloudTrail log file validation and periodically check the logs.
Why it's wrong here
This is not real-time.
✗
Use Amazon Athena to query CloudTrail logs daily.
Why it's wrong here
This is batch and not immediate.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often default to CloudWatch Logs metric filters (Option A) because they are familiar, but fail to recognize that EventBridge rules provide a simpler, lower-latency, and more cost-effective solution for real-time API call monitoring.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, CloudTrail publishes all API calls to CloudWatch Events (EventBridge) as default event buses, and a rule with an event pattern matching the CreateAccessKey event source and name triggers the target Lambda function. The Lambda function can then publish to an SNS topic, which sends notifications via email, SMS, or other protocols. This pattern is event-driven and scales automatically, with typical end-to-end latency under one minute.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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 — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the CreateAccessKey API call and triggers a Lambda function to send an SNS notification. — Option B is correct because CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) can directly match the CreateAccessKey API call from CloudTrail and trigger a Lambda function to send an SNS notification in near real-time. This is the most efficient solution as it avoids the overhead of log ingestion, metric filters, or periodic queries, providing immediate notification with minimal latency.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "immediately / without restart". Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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