The correct approach is to enable VPC Flow Logs and query Amazon Athena, as VPC Flow Logs capture metadata for all network traffic—both accepted and rejected—allowing you to filter for “REJECT” records to pinpoint denied requests. This works because VPC Flow Logs record source/destination IPs, ports, protocols, and the action (ACCEPT or REJECT) at the network interface level, while Athena provides a serverless SQL engine to query the logs stored in S3. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between services that log network traffic versus those that log API calls or configurations—a common trap is confusing CloudTrail (API activity) or Config (resource compliance) with flow logs. Remember the mnemonic: “Flow logs flow, CloudTrail calls, Config crawls”—only flow logs reveal the network’s yes/no at the packet level.
DOP-C02 Incident and Event Response Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
An application running on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group is experiencing intermittent connectivity issues. The DevOps team suspects a security group configuration problem. Which approach should the team use to analyze security group traffic and identify denied requests?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable VPC Flow Logs and query Amazon Athena
Option C is correct because VPC Flow Logs can capture all traffic (accepted and rejected) and be analyzed to find denied connections. Option A is wrong because Security Hub aggregates security findings but does not log traffic. Option B is wrong because CloudTrail logs API calls, not network traffic. Option D is wrong because Config records resource configurations, not traffic.
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.
✗
Use AWS Config to review security group rules
Why it's wrong here
Config shows rules but not actual traffic.
✗
Check AWS CloudTrail for security group modification events
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not actual traffic.
✗
Enable AWS Security Hub and review the security findings
Why it's wrong here
Security Hub provides findings, not network traffic logs.
✓
Enable VPC Flow Logs and query Amazon Athena
Why this is correct
Flow Logs capture traffic; Athena can query to find denied connections.
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.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Config shows rules but not actual traffic.
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 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
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.
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable VPC Flow Logs and query Amazon Athena — Option C is correct because VPC Flow Logs can capture all traffic (accepted and rejected) and be analyzed to find denied connections. Option A is wrong because Security Hub aggregates security findings but does not log traffic. Option B is wrong because CloudTrail logs API calls, not network traffic. Option D is wrong because Config records resource configurations, not traffic.
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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