The answer is Amazon CloudWatch Alarms, AWS CloudTrail, and Amazon CloudWatch Logs. This combination works because CloudTrail captures the CreateUser and CreateLoginProfile API calls as events, which are then streamed into CloudWatch Logs where a metric filter can be defined to count these specific events. The CloudWatch Alarm then monitors that metric and triggers an alert when the threshold is breached, providing a real-time detection mechanism for IAM user creation with console access. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to build a custom monitoring pipeline for security-sensitive API calls, often appearing as a distractor against AWS Config (which tracks resource state, not API events) or GuardDuty (which focuses on threat detection, not IAM user creation). A common trap is choosing Config because it can detect IAM users, but it lacks the real-time alerting capability of CloudWatch Alarms. Memory tip: think "CT logs, CW filters, CW alarms" — the three C's for catching console access creation.
DOP-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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's Security team wants to detect and alert on the creation of IAM users with console access. Which THREE services should be used?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail logs the CreateUser and CreateLoginProfile API calls. CloudWatch Logs can receive CloudTrail logs and create metric filters. CloudWatch Alarms can trigger on the metric. Config can track resource changes but not as efficient for alerting on API calls. GuardDuty does not specifically focus on IAM user creation.
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 this is correct
CloudTrail records all IAM user creation events.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Logs can be used to analyze CloudTrail logs and create metric filters.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config can track IAM users but is not designed for real-time alerting on API calls.
✗
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty focuses on threat detection, not specific IAM user creation.
✓
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
Why this is correct
Alarms can be set on metric filters to notify when new users are created.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 DOP-C02 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.
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 CloudTrail — CloudTrail logs the CreateUser and CreateLoginProfile API calls. CloudWatch Logs can receive CloudTrail logs and create metric filters. CloudWatch Alarms can trigger on the metric. Config can track resource changes but not as efficient for alerting on API calls. GuardDuty does not specifically focus on IAM user creation.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which DOP-C02 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.
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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