Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Config and AWS Systems Manager Automation. AWS Config continuously monitors S3 bucket configurations against managed rules like s3-bucket-public-read-prohibited, and when a bucket becomes publicly accessible, it triggers an automation document in Systems Manager Automation to remediate the issue—for example, by applying a bucket policy that blocks all public access. This combination is correct because it provides a fully automated, event-driven remediation pipeline without requiring custom Lambda code, directly addressing the need to automatically remediate public S3 buckets. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of AWS Config’s integration with Systems Manager Automation as a native remediation action, a common trap being to mistakenly choose Lambda alone—but the question specifically asks for two services, and Systems Manager Automation handles the remediation logic without additional compute. Memory tip: think “Config catches, Automation patches”—the rule detects the violation, and the automation document fixes it.
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.
A DevOps team needs to implement a solution to automatically remediate an S3 bucket that becomes publicly accessible. Which TWO services should they use together?
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not configuration compliance.
AWS Config
Config can evaluate bucket policies and trigger remediation.
AWS Lambda
Why wrong: Lambda is possible but Config's auto-remediation is the recommended approach.
AWS Systems Manager Automation
Automation runbooks can remediate the public access.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty detects threats, not configuration issues.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Config
AWS Config can continuously monitor S3 bucket configurations and trigger an AWS Lambda function via a custom rule or managed rule (e.g., s3-bucket-public-read-prohibited) when a bucket becomes publicly accessible. Lambda then executes the remediation logic, such as applying a bucket policy that blocks public access. This pair provides an automated, event-driven remediation pipeline without manual intervention.
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.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not configuration compliance.
AWS Config
Why this is correct
Config can evaluate bucket policies and trigger remediation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Lambda is possible but Config's auto-remediation is the recommended approach.
AWS Systems Manager Automation
Why this is correct
Automation runbooks can remediate the public access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty detects threats, not configuration issues.
Common exam traps
AWS often tests the misconception that AWS CloudTrail or Amazon GuardDuty can perform automated remediation, but these services are purely detective or auditing tools and lack the ability to execute corrective actions.
Detailed technical explanation
AWS Config evaluates resource configurations against desired state rules and invokes Lambda via an Amazon SNS topic or directly through the AWS Config rule's remediation action. The Lambda function can use the AWS SDK to call PutPublicAccessBlock on the S3 bucket or apply a restrictive bucket policy. In a real-world scenario, you might combine this with AWS Config's conformance packs to enforce compliance across multiple accounts and regions, ensuring that any public access misconfiguration is reverted within seconds.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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Incident and Event Response — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Config — AWS Config can continuously monitor S3 bucket configurations and trigger an AWS Lambda function via a custom rule or managed rule (e.g., s3-bucket-public-read-prohibited) when a bucket becomes publicly accessible. Lambda then executes the remediation logic, such as applying a bucket policy that blocks public access. This pair provides an automated, event-driven remediation pipeline without manual intervention.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Match each AWS automation or configuration management tool to its description.
mediumWhy : These are tools for automation and configuration.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 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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