Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudTrail because it serves as the definitive audit service for recording all API calls made to your AWS environment, including those that modify security groups and network ACLs. CloudTrail captures every CreateSecurityGroup, AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress, RevokeSecurityGroupEgress, and CreateNetworkAclEntry call, logging the identity of the user, the time of the change, and the source IP address. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of operational auditing and governance, often appearing in scenario-based questions where you must distinguish CloudTrail from services like AWS Config or VPC Flow Logs. A common trap is confusing CloudTrail’s API-level logging with Config’s resource configuration tracking—remember that CloudTrail records the action (who did what), while Config records the state (what changed). For a quick memory tip: think of CloudTrail as the “who, what, when” for security group and network ACL changes, not the “how it looks now.”
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. 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 audit all changes made to security groups and network ACLs in its AWS account. Which AWS service should be used to capture these API calls?
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail logs API calls for auditing.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty is for threat detection.
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Flow logs capture network traffic, not API calls.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config records resource configuration changes, not API calls.
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 CloudTrail
AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records all API calls made to the AWS environment, including those that modify security groups and network ACLs. By enabling CloudTrail, you can capture CreateSecurityGroup, AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress, RevokeSecurityGroupEgress, CreateNetworkAclEntry, and similar API calls, providing an audit trail of who made the change, when, and from which IP address.
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 this is correct
CloudTrail logs API calls for auditing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty is for threat detection.
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Flow logs capture network traffic, not API calls.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config records resource configuration changes, not API calls.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config (which tracks configuration state) with CloudTrail (which tracks API actions), but the question explicitly asks for capturing the API calls themselves, not the resulting configuration changes.
Detailed technical explanation
CloudTrail delivers log files in JSON or gzip format to an S3 bucket, and each event record includes the user identity (IAM user or role), source IP address, request parameters, and response elements. For security group changes, CloudTrail logs the exact API call (e.g., AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress) along with the specific protocol, port range, and CIDR block, enabling forensic analysis of who opened a port to 0.0.0.0/0. A real-world scenario is compliance auditing where you must prove that only authorized administrators modified security group rules, which CloudTrail can verify by correlating API calls with IAM policies.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Network Security, Compliance and Governance — This question tests Network Security, Compliance and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail — AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records all API calls made to the AWS environment, including those that modify security groups and network ACLs. By enabling CloudTrail, you can capture CreateSecurityGroup, AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress, RevokeSecurityGroupEgress, CreateNetworkAclEntry, and similar API calls, providing an audit trail of who made the change, when, and from which IP address.
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. A security engineer needs to audit all API calls that modify security group rules in a VPC. Which AWS service should be used to record these API calls?
easyWhy A: AWS CloudTrail records all API calls made to the AWS API, including modifications to security group rules. Option B is correct. AWS Config records resource configuration changes but not API calls. VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic logs, not API calls. Amazon Inspector is for vulnerability assessment.
Variation 2. A company wants to audit all changes to security group rules in their AWS account. Which AWS service should be used to record these changes?
mediumWhy A: Option B is correct: AWS CloudTrail records API calls, including changes to security group rules. Option A is wrong because AWS Config records resource configurations and changes, but CloudTrail is more direct for API auditing. However, for auditing changes, CloudTrail is the primary service. Option C is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not configuration changes. Option D is wrong because Amazon Inspector assesses vulnerabilities.
Variation 3. A company wants to audit all changes to security group rules in a VPC. Which AWS service should be used to record these changes?
easyWhy A: AWS CloudTrail records API calls, including changes to security groups. Option B is correct. Option A is wrong because CloudWatch is for monitoring metrics and logs. Option C is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not configuration changes. Option D is wrong because AWS Config records resource configuration changes, but CloudTrail is specifically for API call auditing.
Variation 4. A company needs to audit all changes to security groups in a VPC. Which AWS service should be used?
easyWhy D: Option C is correct because AWS CloudTrail records API calls, including changes to security groups, and can be used for auditing. Option A is wrong because CloudWatch is for monitoring metrics and logs, not API activity. Option B is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not API changes. Option D is wrong because AWS Config can track resource changes but is not primarily for auditing API calls; it focuses on resource configuration.
Variation 5. A security engineer needs to audit all changes to security group rules in an AWS account. Which AWS service should be used to record these changes?
easyWhy B: Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail records API calls, including changes to security group rules. Option A is wrong because AWS Config records configuration changes but not API calls. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch Logs is for log storage, not recording API calls. Option D is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not API calls.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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