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 wants to ensure that all API calls made to AWS are logged for security analysis. Which TWO services can be used to achieve this? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon S3 server access logs
Amazon S3 server access logs capture detailed records of requests made to an S3 bucket, including the requester, bucket name, request time, and action. This enables security analysis of API calls specifically targeting S3 resources. AWS CloudTrail records all API calls made to the AWS Management Console, SDKs, and CLI across the entire AWS account, providing a comprehensive audit trail for security analysis.
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 S3 server access logs
Why this is correct
S3 server access logs record requests made to S3, which are a subset of API calls.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail records API calls as events.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Amazon VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic, not API calls.
✗
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs is a log storage service, but it does not generate logs; it ingests them from other sources.
✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config records resource configuration changes, not API calls.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse VPC Flow Logs (which log network traffic) or CloudWatch Logs (a log storage service) with services that directly capture API calls, but only CloudTrail and S3 server access logs provide the specific API-level logging required for security analysis.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail delivers log files to an S3 bucket in JSON format, with each event containing fields like eventSource, eventName, userIdentity, and requestParameters. S3 server access logs are delivered as tab-delimited records with fields such as Bucket Owner, Bucket, Time, Remote IP, and Request URI. A subtle behavior: CloudTrail logs management events by default but requires enabling data events (e.g., S3 object-level operations) separately, which can generate high volumes of logs.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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: Amazon S3 server access logs — Amazon S3 server access logs capture detailed records of requests made to an S3 bucket, including the requester, bucket name, request time, and action. This enables security analysis of API calls specifically targeting S3 resources. AWS CloudTrail records all API calls made to the AWS Management Console, SDKs, and CLI across the entire AWS account, providing a comprehensive audit trail for security analysis.
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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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.
Question Discussion
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