SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
A company uses Amazon GuardDuty in a single AWS account to detect threats. The security team receives an alert that a specific EC2 instance is communicating with a known command and control (C2) server. The security engineer needs to immediately isolate the instance while preserving the root cause evidence. The engineer has access to the AWS Management Console. Which action should the engineer take FIRST?
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
✓
Take a snapshot of the EBS volume and then isolate the instance by modifying the security group.
The correct first action is to take a snapshot of the EBS volume to preserve root cause evidence, then modify the security group to block all outbound traffic, isolating the instance. Option A is incorrect because terminating the instance destroys volatile evidence and may not capture the current state. Option C is incorrect because modifying the security group without first taking a snapshot could lose critical evidence before isolation. Option D is incorrect because installing the CloudWatch agent takes time and does not immediately stop communication or isolate the instance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Terminate the instance immediately to stop the communication.
Why it's wrong here
Termination loses evidence.
- ✓
Take a snapshot of the EBS volume and then isolate the instance by modifying the security group.
Why this is correct
Snapshot preserves evidence, then isolation stops communication.
- ✗
Modify the security group to block all outbound traffic.
Why it's wrong here
This stops communication but does not preserve evidence.
- ✗
Install the CloudWatch Logs agent on the instance to capture logs.
Why it's wrong here
This does not isolate and may not capture past activity.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.