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 uses AWS CloudTrail to log all API activity. The security team wants to detect when an IAM user creates an access key for another user, which is a potential privilege escalation. Which TWO actions should the team take to set up this detection?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a CloudWatch alarm based on the metric filter.
Option B is correct because a CloudWatch alarm based on a metric filter allows the security team to monitor CloudTrail logs in real time and trigger an alert when a specific API call (CreateAccessKey) is made by an IAM user for another user. The metric filter extracts the event from CloudTrail logs stored in CloudWatch Logs, and the alarm evaluates the metric against a threshold to notify the team of potential privilege escalation.
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.
✗
Create an AWS Config managed rule to detect CreateAccessKey calls.
Why it's wrong here
Config rules evaluate resource configurations, not API calls.
✓
Create a CloudWatch alarm based on the metric filter.
Why this is correct
The alarm can send notifications when the filter matches.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Create a CloudWatch Logs metric filter that matches the event CreateAccessKey.
Why this is correct
This filter can trigger an alarm when the event occurs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use Amazon EventBridge to create a rule that matches the CloudTrail event and triggers an AWS Lambda function.
Why this is correct
EventBridge can directly invoke a Lambda function in response to the CreateAccessKey event.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable Amazon GuardDuty and create a custom threat list.
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty does not support custom rules for specific API events.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config managed rules (which evaluate resource state) with CloudTrail event detection (which requires log-based monitoring), leading them to select Option A instead of the correct combination of metric filters and alarms or EventBridge rules.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail logs are delivered to CloudWatch Logs via a subscription filter, and a metric filter uses a JSON pattern like `{ $.eventName = "CreateAccessKey" }` to match events. The CloudWatch alarm then evaluates the metric count over a period (e.g., 1 minute) and triggers an SNS notification. In a real-world scenario, an attacker might use `aws iam create-access-key --user-name victim` to escalate privileges, and this detection setup ensures immediate alerting without relying on periodic compliance checks.
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 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
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: Create a CloudWatch alarm based on the metric filter. — Option B is correct because a CloudWatch alarm based on a metric filter allows the security team to monitor CloudTrail logs in real time and trigger an alert when a specific API call (CreateAccessKey) is made by an IAM user for another user. The metric filter extracts the event from CloudTrail logs stored in CloudWatch Logs, and the alarm evaluates the metric against a threshold to notify the team of potential privilege escalation.
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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