- A
Deploy Amazon GuardDuty and enable the Security Group Monitoring feature.
Why wrong: GuardDuty does not have a specific feature for monitoring security group changes; it focuses on threat detection.
- B
Configure an Amazon EventBridge rule that matches API calls via CloudTrail for security group modifications and sends notifications to an SNS topic.
EventBridge rules can trigger in near real-time based on CloudTrail events, ensuring immediate notification.
- C
Increase the frequency of AWS Config rule evaluations to every minute to reduce detection latency.
Why wrong: AWS Config rules evaluate on configuration changes or periodically, but even at 1-minute intervals, it is not real-time and may miss changes.
- D
Enable VPC Flow Logs and set up a metric filter for security group-related traffic anomalies.
Why wrong: VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata, not security group configuration changes.
SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. 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 company runs a critical application on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. The security team needs to monitor for unauthorized changes to security groups. They have enabled AWS Config with the security-group-change detection rule. However, they notice that changes are being detected but not all changes trigger a notification. The team wants to ensure that every security group modification (create, delete, or rule change) sends an alert to the security operations center via Amazon SNS. The current setup: AWS Config rules evaluate resources periodically, and SNS notifications are sent only when the rule compliance status changes. What should the team do to achieve real-time alerts for all security group changes?
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
Configure an Amazon EventBridge rule that matches API calls via CloudTrail for security group modifications and sends notifications to an SNS topic.
The correct answer is B. CloudTrail logs all API calls, including security group modifications, in real time. By creating a CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) rule that matches SecurityGroup events and targets SNS, the team can receive immediate notifications. Option A is incorrect because AWS Config rules are not real-time; they evaluate periodically or on configuration changes but are not designed for real-time alerting. Option C is incorrect because VPC Flow Logs monitor network traffic, not security group changes. Option D is incorrect because GuardDuty focuses on threat detection, not configuration changes.
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.
- ✗
Deploy Amazon GuardDuty and enable the Security Group Monitoring feature.
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty does not have a specific feature for monitoring security group changes; it focuses on threat detection.
- ✓
Configure an Amazon EventBridge rule that matches API calls via CloudTrail for security group modifications and sends notifications to an SNS topic.
Why this is correct
EventBridge rules can trigger in near real-time based on CloudTrail events, ensuring immediate notification.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of AWS Config rule evaluations to every minute to reduce detection latency.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config rules evaluate on configuration changes or periodically, but even at 1-minute intervals, it is not real-time and may miss changes.
- ✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs and set up a metric filter for security group-related traffic anomalies.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata, not security group configuration changes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SCS-C02 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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Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
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Security Logging and Monitoring practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure an Amazon EventBridge rule that matches API calls via CloudTrail for security group modifications and sends notifications to an SNS topic. — The correct answer is B. CloudTrail logs all API calls, including security group modifications, in real time. By creating a CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) rule that matches SecurityGroup events and targets SNS, the team can receive immediate notifications. Option A is incorrect because AWS Config rules are not real-time; they evaluate periodically or on configuration changes but are not designed for real-time alerting. Option C is incorrect because VPC Flow Logs monitor network traffic, not security group changes. Option D is incorrect because GuardDuty focuses on threat detection, not configuration changes.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SCS-C02 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.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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