SCS-C02 Threat Detection and Incident Response Practice Question
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates 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 CloudWatch Logs metric filter and alarm pair.
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
✓
Create a CloudWatch alarm based on the metric filter.
Option C is correct because CloudTrail delivers API activity to a CloudWatch Logs log group, and a metric filter with a filter pattern matching the eventName "CreateAccessKey" converts those log events into a numeric CloudWatch metric that can be alarmed on. Option B is correct because a CloudWatch alarm on that metric filter's metric fires when the metric crosses the threshold, which is the standard way to detect and notify on the specific CreateAccessKey activity. Option A is not appropriate because AWS Config managed rules evaluate resource configuration compliance, not individual API calls. Option D is not correct for this two-action pair because an EventBridge rule that triggers a Lambda function is a separate single-step alternative, not one of the two actions needed in the CloudWatch Logs metric filter and alarm setup. Option E is wrong because GuardDuty custom threat lists are for IP addresses and domains, not for detecting specific IAM API calls.
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
This is incorrect because AWS Config managed rules evaluate the state of resources, not API activity. They cannot directly detect a CreateAccessKey event in real-time.
- ✓
Create a CloudWatch alarm based on the metric filter.
Why this is correct
A CloudWatch alarm triggered by a metric filter converts matching CloudTrail events into an actionable notification. The filter patterns on CreateAccessKey events, and the alarm fires when the threshold is breached, satisfying the requirement to detect access key creation for another user.
- ✓
Create a CloudWatch Logs metric filter that matches the event CreateAccessKey.
Why this is correct
A CloudWatch Logs metric filter counts occurrences of the CreateAccessKey API call in the trail's log group, converting raw events into a numeric metric. An alarm on that metric then notifies the team, satisfying the detection requirement for this privilege-escalation pattern.
- ✗
Use Amazon EventBridge to create a rule that matches the CloudTrail event and triggers an AWS Lambda function.
Why it's wrong here
Not selected: EventBridge rule to Lambda is an alternative single-step approach, not one of the two actions required for the CloudWatch Logs metric-filter-and-alarm detection pair.
- ✗
Enable Amazon GuardDuty and create a custom threat list.
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty's custom threat lists match IP addresses and domains against its findings; they cannot express an API-event pattern such as CreateAccessKey targeting another user. GuardDuty is tempting because it detects credential-related findings natively, and would suit identifying anomalous IAM behaviour without a defined event signature.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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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.