Question 249 of 1,750
Security and CompliancehardMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

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 company wants to monitor and detect anomalous API calls in their AWS account. Which THREE AWS services should they use together to achieve this?

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

AWS CloudTrail

AWS CloudTrail is correct because it records all API calls made in the AWS account, providing the raw data needed to detect anomalous activity. By enabling CloudTrail on all regions and logging to a centralized S3 bucket, you capture the identity, source IP, and request parameters for every API call, which is essential for anomaly detection.

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

    Logs API calls.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Amazon Inspector

    Why it's wrong here

    Assesses vulnerabilities.

  • Amazon CloudWatch Logs

    Why this is correct

    Stores and monitors logs.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • AWS Config

    Why it's wrong here

    Tracks resource configuration changes.

  • Amazon GuardDuty

    Why this is correct

    Detects anomalous behavior.

    Related concept

    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 AWS Config (which tracks resource configuration changes) with CloudTrail (which tracks API calls), or they think Amazon Inspector (a vulnerability scanner) can detect anomalous API behavior when it is designed for a completely different purpose.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, CloudTrail delivers log files in JSON format containing the 'eventTime', 'userIdentity', 'sourceIPAddress', 'requestParameters', and 'responseElements' for each API call. CloudWatch Logs can ingest these logs via a CloudTrail-to-CloudWatch Logs integration, allowing you to create metric filters and alarms for patterns like repeated 'AccessDenied' errors or calls from unusual IP ranges. GuardDuty then uses its threat intelligence and machine learning models to analyze CloudTrail management events (and VPC Flow Logs, DNS logs) for indicators of compromise such as credential misuse or reconnaissance behavior.

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 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.

Quick reference

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Storage ClassMin DurationRetrievalUse Case
S3 StandardNoneImmediateFrequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA30 daysImmediateInfrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA30 daysImmediateNon-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-TieringNoneImmediate–hoursUnknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant90 daysMillisecondsArchive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible90 daysMinutes–hoursArchive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive180 daysHoursLong-term compliance archive

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DOP-C02 question test?

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 — AWS CloudTrail is correct because it records all API calls made in the AWS account, providing the raw data needed to detect anomalous activity. By enabling CloudTrail on all regions and logging to a centralized S3 bucket, you capture the identity, source IP, and request parameters for every API call, which is essential for anomaly detection.

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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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026

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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.