This DOP-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 wants to monitor and detect suspicious API activity across all AWS accounts in an organization. Which TWO services should be used together?
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector assesses vulnerabilities in EC2 instances.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config tracks resource configurations, not API activity.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
CloudWatch Logs can receive CloudTrail logs and create metric filters for suspicious activity.
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail logs all API calls across accounts.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty detects threats but is not primarily for API activity monitoring.
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 CloudWatch Logs
Amazon CloudWatch Logs is correct because it can centrally aggregate and store API activity logs from all AWS accounts in an organization. When combined with AWS CloudTrail, which records API calls, CloudWatch Logs enables real-time monitoring and alerting on suspicious API patterns using metric filters and alarms.
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 Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector assesses vulnerabilities in EC2 instances.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config tracks resource configurations, not API activity.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Logs can receive CloudTrail logs and create metric filters for suspicious activity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs all API calls across accounts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty detects threats but is not primarily for API activity monitoring.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often pick GuardDuty (Option E) because it is a security service, but the question specifically asks for services to monitor and detect suspicious API activity, which requires the log capture and analysis capabilities of CloudTrail and CloudWatch Logs, not GuardDuty's threat detection which consumes those logs as a downstream source.
Detailed technical explanation
CloudTrail logs API calls as JSON events, which can be streamed to CloudWatch Logs via a CloudTrail trail. CloudWatch Logs metric filters can then parse these logs for patterns like multiple failed AssumeRole calls or unauthorized API operations, triggering CloudWatch Alarms for automated response. This setup is commonly used in multi-account environments to detect credential misuse or privilege escalation attempts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon CloudWatch Logs — Amazon CloudWatch Logs is correct because it can centrally aggregate and store API activity logs from all AWS accounts in an organization. When combined with AWS CloudTrail, which records API calls, CloudWatch Logs enables real-time monitoring and alerting on suspicious API patterns using metric filters and alarms.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This DOP-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 DOP-C02 exam.
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