This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of threat detection and incident response. 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 is designing an incident response plan for AWS. The plan must include the ability to collect forensic data from EC2 instances without requiring SSH key pairs. Which TWO AWS services can be used to acquire forensic data from EC2 instances without remote access? (Choose 2.)
AWS Systems Manager Run Command
Run Command executes commands without SSH.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config records resource configurations.
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector assesses vulnerabilities, not forensic data.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not instance data.
Amazon EBS snapshots
Snapshots capture volume data for analysis.
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 Systems Manager Run Command
AWS Systems Manager Run Command allows you to run scripts or commands on EC2 instances via the SSM Agent, without requiring SSH keys or direct network access. This enables forensic data collection (e.g., memory dumps, log files) by executing commands remotely through the AWS Systems Manager service, using IAM roles for authentication.
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 Systems Manager Run Command
Why this is correct
Run Command executes commands without SSH.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config records resource configurations.
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector assesses vulnerabilities, not forensic data.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not instance data.
Amazon EBS snapshots
Why this is correct
Snapshots capture volume data for analysis.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config or CloudTrail as tools for collecting instance-level forensic data, when in fact they are governance and logging services that do not provide direct access to instance memory or disk contents.
Detailed technical explanation
Systems Manager Run Command leverages the SSM Agent (pre-installed on many AMIs) to execute commands via the AWS API, using an IAM instance profile for authorization. For forensic acquisition, you can run commands like `dd` to capture memory or `tar` to collect log directories, with output stored in S3 or CloudWatch Logs. Amazon EBS snapshots provide a point-in-time copy of the root or data volumes, which can be attached to a separate analysis instance for offline forensic examination without needing SSH access to the original instance.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Threat Detection and Incident Response — This question tests Threat Detection and Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Systems Manager Run Command — AWS Systems Manager Run Command allows you to run scripts or commands on EC2 instances via the SSM Agent, without requiring SSH keys or direct network access. This enables forensic data collection (e.g., memory dumps, log files) by executing commands remotely through the AWS Systems Manager service, using IAM roles for authentication.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SCS-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 SCS-C02 exam.
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