- A
Use AWS Trusted Advisor to check for security group changes and send email alerts.
Why wrong: Trusted Advisor does not monitor real-time changes; it provides periodic checks.
- B
Use AWS Config to monitor security group changes and trigger a Lambda function to send notifications.
Why wrong: AWS Config can detect changes but is not real-time and does not directly provide who made the change; it shows configuration changes but not the principal.
- C
Enable AWS CloudTrail and create a CloudWatch Events rule that triggers on EC2 SecurityGroup events, sending notifications via SNS.
CloudTrail logs API calls to create, modify, and delete security group rules. CloudWatch Events can filter on these events and send to SNS for notification.
- D
Enable VPC Flow Logs and analyze logs for changes to security group rules.
Why wrong: Flow Logs capture network traffic, not security group rule changes.
Auditing Security Group Changes — AWS CloudTrail with SNS Notifications
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 to security groups in their AWS account. They need to be notified whenever a security group rule is added, modified, or removed. They also want to see who made the change. Which solution should they implement?
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
Enable AWS CloudTrail and create a CloudWatch Events rule that triggers on EC2 SecurityGroup events, sending notifications via SNS.
AWS CloudTrail captures all API calls, including EC2 SecurityGroup-related actions (AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress, RevokeSecurityGroupIngress, etc.), recording the identity of the caller. A CloudWatch Events rule can filter for these specific events and trigger an SNS notification, providing both the change details and the IAM user or role that made the change. This meets the audit and notification requirements precisely.
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 Trusted Advisor to check for security group changes and send email alerts.
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor does not monitor real-time changes; it provides periodic checks.
- ✗
Use AWS Config to monitor security group changes and trigger a Lambda function to send notifications.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config can detect changes but is not real-time and does not directly provide who made the change; it shows configuration changes but not the principal.
- ✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail and create a CloudWatch Events rule that triggers on EC2 SecurityGroup events, sending notifications via SNS.
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs API calls to create, modify, and delete security group rules. CloudWatch Events can filter on these events and send to SNS for notification.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs and analyze logs for changes to security group rules.
Why it's wrong here
Flow Logs capture network traffic, not security group rule changes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse AWS Config's configuration tracking (which detects drift but not per-event user identity) with CloudTrail's API-level audit trail, or they mistakenly think VPC Flow Logs can capture security group changes when they only capture traffic metadata.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
AWS Config can detect changes but is not real-time and does not directly provide who made the change; it shows configuration changes but not the principal.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail records management events like AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress and RevokeSecurityGroupIngress with the user identity (ARN, access key, source IP) and timestamp. CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can match these events using a specific event pattern (e.g., source: 'ec2.amazonaws.com', detail.eventName: ['AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress', 'RevokeSecurityGroupIngress', 'AuthorizeSecurityGroupEgress', 'RevokeSecurityGroupEgress']) and route them to an SNS topic for email or other notifications. This ensures near-real-time, auditable alerts with full identity context.
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
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ANS-C01 question test?
Network Security, Compliance and Governance — This question tests Network Security, Compliance and Governance — 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 create a CloudWatch Events rule that triggers on EC2 SecurityGroup events, sending notifications via SNS. — AWS CloudTrail captures all API calls, including EC2 SecurityGroup-related actions (AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress, RevokeSecurityGroupIngress, etc.), recording the identity of the caller. A CloudWatch Events rule can filter for these specific events and trigger an SNS notification, providing both the change details and the IAM user or role that made the change. This meets the audit and notification requirements precisely.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 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.
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
3 more ways this is tested on ANS-C01
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 made in an AWS account for compliance. The engineer wants to capture the source IP address and the user agent for each call. Which AWS service should be used?
medium- A.AWS Config
- ✓ B.AWS CloudTrail
- C.Amazon CloudWatch Logs
- D.VPC Flow Logs
Why B: AWS CloudTrail records API calls and includes source IP and user agent, making it the correct service for auditing API calls. Option A (AWS Config) is incorrect because it records resource changes, not API calls. Option C (Amazon CloudWatch Logs) is incorrect because it stores logs but does not capture API calls directly. Option D (VPC Flow Logs) is incorrect because it captures network traffic, not API calls.
Variation 2. A company needs to audit all changes to security groups in their AWS account. Which AWS service should they use?
easy- A.AWS Config
- ✓ B.AWS CloudTrail
- C.Amazon CloudWatch Logs
- D.VPC Flow Logs
Why B: Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail records API calls, including changes to security groups. Option A is wrong because AWS Config records resource configuration changes but is not primarily for auditing API calls. Option C is wrong because Amazon CloudWatch Logs stores logs but does not capture API calls by default. Option D is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not API calls.
Variation 3. A company wants to audit all changes to security groups in their AWS account. Which AWS service should they use to track API calls that modify security groups?
easy- A.AWS Config
- ✓ B.AWS CloudTrail
- C.Amazon CloudWatch Logs
- D.VPC Flow Logs
Why B: AWS CloudTrail records API calls made in the account, including those that modify security groups. A (AWS Config) tracks resource configuration changes but not API calls. C (CloudWatch Logs) can store logs but does not capture API calls natively. D (VPC Flow Logs) captures network traffic metadata, not API calls.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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