The answer is AWS Systems Manager Incident Manager and AWS Systems Manager Automation. This combination is correct because Incident Manager orchestrates the incident response lifecycle, allowing you to define response plans that automatically trigger a pre-defined runbook when a security incident is detected. The Automation runbook then executes the specific steps to isolate the compromised resource and collect forensic evidence, such as detaching an EC2 instance from the network or capturing a memory dump. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to automate incident response runbooks without relying on custom code or third-party tools. A common trap is choosing AWS Config rules or Lambda functions alone, which lack the built-in incident management lifecycle and runbook orchestration that Incident Manager provides. Remember the pairing: Incident Manager for the trigger and lifecycle, Automation runbook for the action steps—think “Incident triggers, Automation executes.”
SCS-C02 Threat Detection and Incident Response Practice Question
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's security team is designing an incident response plan for AWS resources. They want to ensure that when a security incident is detected in a production account, a pre-defined runbook is executed automatically. The runbook includes steps to isolate the compromised resource and collect forensic evidence. Which combination of services should the team use to implement this automation?
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 Incident Manager and AWS Systems Manager Automation
AWS Systems Manager Incident Manager provides the incident management lifecycle, including automated response plans that trigger runbooks when an incident is detected. AWS Systems Manager Automation runbooks contain predefined steps (e.g., isolating EC2 instances, capturing memory dumps, and collecting logs) that can be executed automatically. This combination directly meets the requirement for a pre-defined runbook that isolates the compromised resource and collects forensic evidence.
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.
✗
Amazon EventBridge and AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
EventBridge can trigger Lambda but does not provide a runbook framework.
✗
AWS Config and Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling
Why it's wrong here
Config is for compliance; Auto Scaling is for scaling.
✗
AWS Step Functions and AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Step Functions can orchestrate but lacks incident management features.
✓
AWS Systems Manager Incident Manager and AWS Systems Manager Automation
Why this is correct
Incident Manager manages incidents and can trigger Automation runbooks for response.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose EventBridge and Lambda (Option A) because they are familiar with event-driven automation, but they overlook that Incident Manager provides the required incident lifecycle, response plans, and pre-built runbook templates specifically designed for security incident response.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Systems Manager Incident Manager uses an incident record to track the lifecycle, and its response plan can trigger an Automation runbook that runs on the compromised resource using the AWS-RunShellScript or AWS-RunPowerShellScript steps, or custom steps like AWS-IsolateEC2Instance. The runbook can also invoke AWS Lambda for custom forensic actions, but the core orchestration and incident management are handled by Incident Manager, which integrates with AWS CloudTrail and Amazon GuardDuty for detection. Under the hood, Automation runbooks are defined in YAML or JSON and execute sequentially with built-in error handling and approval gates.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Threat Detection and Incident Response — This question tests Threat Detection and Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Systems Manager Incident Manager and AWS Systems Manager Automation — AWS Systems Manager Incident Manager provides the incident management lifecycle, including automated response plans that trigger runbooks when an incident is detected. AWS Systems Manager Automation runbooks contain predefined steps (e.g., isolating EC2 instances, capturing memory dumps, and collecting logs) that can be executed automatically. This combination directly meets the requirement for a pre-defined runbook that isolates the compromised resource and collects forensic evidence.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 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.
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Question Discussion
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