The correct answer is to configure an Application Load Balancer with an HTTPS listener using an SSL/TLS certificate, enable AWS CloudTrail, and enable Amazon ECS logs via CloudWatch Logs or FireLens. These three actions directly satisfy PCI DSS requirements for encryption of data in transit via the ALB’s HTTPS termination, encryption of data at rest through underlying EBS volume encryption (implied by the ECS task role and KMS integration), and comprehensive logging of all access—CloudTrail records every API call to the AWS control plane while ECS logs capture container-level application access and system events. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to map PCI DSS controls to specific AWS services within a CI/CD pipeline, often appearing as a multi-select question where distractors include enabling VPC Flow Logs alone (which logs network traffic but not application access) or using a Network Load Balancer (which lacks native HTTPS termination). A strong memory tip is “ALB for transit, CloudTrail for API, ECS logs for app”—covering encryption, audit, and container-level logging in one pipeline.
DOP-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
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 DevOps team is designing a CI/CD pipeline that deploys a web application on Amazon ECS. The application must be compliant with PCI DSS, which requires encryption of data at rest and in transit, and logging of all access. Which THREE actions should the team implement to meet these requirements? (Choose THREE.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail and Amazon ECS logs to capture all API calls and container logs.
Option A is correct because AWS CloudTrail captures all API calls to the AWS environment, providing an audit trail of who accessed what and when, which is required for PCI DSS logging. Amazon ECS logs (via CloudWatch Logs or FireLens) capture container-level access and application logs, ensuring comprehensive logging of all access to the application and underlying infrastructure.
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.
✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail and Amazon ECS logs to capture all API calls and container logs.
Why this is correct
Logging is required for auditing access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Store database credentials in AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store.
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store can store secrets but does not encrypt by default; KMS should be used.
✗
Use VPC endpoints to access ECS and ECR APIs.
Why it's wrong here
VPC endpoints provide private connectivity, not encryption or logging.
✓
Enable ECS task definition encryption using AWS KMS for environment variables and sensitive data.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse security best practices (like storing secrets in Parameter Store or using VPC endpoints) with mandatory compliance actions for encryption and logging, leading them to select options that are helpful but not directly required by PCI DSS for the specific three actions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, PCI DSS Requirement 10 mandates logging all access to cardholder data environments, which CloudTrail delivers by recording management events (e.g., ECS API calls) and ECS container logs capture data events. For encryption in transit, an ALB with an HTTPS listener terminates TLS at the load balancer, using SSL/TLS certificates (e.g., from ACM) to encrypt traffic between clients and the ALB, while ECS tasks can use KMS to encrypt environment variables at rest via the ECS task definition's `secrets` or `environmentFiles` fields. A real-world scenario is a payment processing app where CloudTrail logs all `RunTask` calls, ECS logs capture application requests, and the ALB enforces HTTPS to meet PCI DSS Requirement 4.1.
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 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: Enable AWS CloudTrail and Amazon ECS logs to capture all API calls and container logs. — Option A is correct because AWS CloudTrail captures all API calls to the AWS environment, providing an audit trail of who accessed what and when, which is required for PCI DSS logging. Amazon ECS logs (via CloudWatch Logs or FireLens) capture container-level access and application logs, ensuring comprehensive logging of all access to the application and underlying infrastructure.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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