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 security engineer is analyzing a potential security incident involving an Amazon RDS for MySQL database. The engineer suspects that a SQL injection attack was successful. Which AWS service can the engineer use to review the actual SQL queries that were executed against the database?
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata, not SQL queries.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty provides threat detection, not query logs.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API actions, not SQL queries.
Amazon RDS Audit Logs
RDS Audit Logs can record SQL statements executed.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon RDS Audit Logs
Amazon RDS for MySQL supports audit logs that capture detailed records of database activities, including the actual SQL queries executed. By enabling the `audit_log` plugin and configuring the `server_audit_events` parameter, the engineer can review the exact SQL statements that were run, which is essential for identifying a SQL injection attack. This is the only AWS service that provides query-level visibility into RDS database operations.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata, not SQL queries.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty provides threat detection, not query logs.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API actions, not SQL queries.
Amazon RDS Audit Logs
Why this is correct
RDS Audit Logs can record SQL statements executed.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS CloudTrail (which logs control-plane API calls) with database audit logs (which log data-plane SQL queries), leading them to incorrectly select CloudTrail for reviewing executed SQL statements.
Detailed technical explanation
The RDS for MySQL audit log is generated by the `audit_log` plugin (MariaDB Audit Plugin), which writes events to the `mysql_audit_log` file. The log includes fields such as `statement` (the actual SQL query), `user`, `host`, and `timestamp`, and can be viewed via the Amazon RDS console, downloaded, or streamed to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. In a real-world scenario, an engineer might filter for suspicious patterns like `' OR 1=1 --` or `UNION SELECT` to confirm SQL injection attempts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
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FAQ
Threat Detection and Incident Response — This question tests Threat Detection and Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon RDS Audit Logs — Amazon RDS for MySQL supports audit logs that capture detailed records of database activities, including the actual SQL queries executed. By enabling the `audit_log` plugin and configuring the `server_audit_events` parameter, the engineer can review the exact SQL statements that were run, which is essential for identifying a SQL injection attack. This is the only AWS service that provides query-level visibility into RDS database operations.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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