Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon GuardDuty, VPC Flow Logs, and Amazon Detective. This combination works because VPC Flow Logs capture metadata about network traffic, which GuardDuty analyzes using threat intelligence and anomaly detection to generate security findings, while Detective then ingests those findings for root-cause analysis and visual investigation of suspicious activity. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to layer detection and response services—GuardDuty acts as the threat detector, not a network traffic analyzer itself, so it relies on Flow Logs as a data source, and Detective provides the forensic depth. A common trap is confusing CloudTrail (API logging) or Config (resource compliance) with network-focused detection; remember that Flow Logs are the raw network data, GuardDuty is the automated threat finder, and Detective is the investigator. Memory tip: “Flow feeds Guard, Guard calls Detective.”
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. 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 security team needs to implement a solution to detect and alert on suspicious network traffic within a VPC. The solution should analyze VPC Flow Logs and generate findings for potential threats. Which THREE AWS services can be used together to achieve this?
VPC Flow Logs
Captures network traffic metadata.
Amazon Detective
Can analyze and investigate security findings from GuardDuty.
Amazon GuardDuty
Uses Flow Logs to detect threats.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: Logs API calls, not network traffic.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Monitors resource configuration, not network traffic.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
VPC Flow Logs
Option A (VPC Flow Logs) provides the data source. Option B (Amazon GuardDuty) can analyze Flow Logs for threats. Option D (Amazon Detective) can perform deeper investigation. Option C is wrong because CloudTrail is for API logging, not network traffic analysis. Option E is wrong because Config is for resource configuration tracking.
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.
VPC Flow Logs
Why this is correct
Captures network traffic metadata.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Detective
Why this is correct
Can analyze and investigate security findings from GuardDuty.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
Uses Flow Logs to detect threats.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
Logs API calls, not network traffic.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Monitors resource configuration, not network traffic.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
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
Identify which ANS-C01 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.
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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: VPC Flow Logs — Option A (VPC Flow Logs) provides the data source. Option B (Amazon GuardDuty) can analyze Flow Logs for threats. Option D (Amazon Detective) can perform deeper investigation. Option C is wrong because CloudTrail is for API logging, not network traffic analysis. Option E is wrong because Config is for resource configuration tracking.
Identify which ANS-C01 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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This ANS-C01 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 ANS-C01 exam.
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