Quick Answer
The answer is the Amazon CloudWatch agent, which is the correct service to collect EC2 OS and application logs and send them to CloudWatch Logs for centralized monitoring. This agent runs directly on the EC2 instance, allowing it to access the file system and system logs, such as syslog or Windows Event Log, as well as custom application log files, whereas other AWS services operate at different layers of the stack. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the distinction between agent-based log collection and network-level or API-level logging services. A common trap is confusing the CloudWatch agent with VPC Flow Logs, which only capture network traffic metadata, or CloudTrail, which records API calls—neither can read OS or application files. Remember the memory tip: "Agent for access, Flow for flow, Trail for API."
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. 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 configuring logging for an application running on Amazon EC2 instances. The engineer needs to capture both operating system-level logs and application logs. Which TWO services can be used together to achieve this? (Choose two.)
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: Captures API calls, not OS/application logs.
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Capture network traffic metadata, not OS or application logs.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Stores log data collected by the CloudWatch agent.
Amazon CloudWatch agent
Collects OS and application logs from EC2 instances.
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Vulnerability assessment, not log collection.
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 CloudWatch Logs
The CloudWatch agent can collect OS and application logs and send them to CloudWatch Logs. Options A and C are correct. Option B is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata. Option D is wrong because AWS CloudTrail captures API calls. Option E is wrong because Amazon Inspector is for vulnerability assessment.
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.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
Captures API calls, not OS/application logs.
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Capture network traffic metadata, not OS or application logs.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
Stores log data collected by the CloudWatch agent.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon CloudWatch agent
Why this is correct
Collects OS and application logs from EC2 instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Vulnerability assessment, not log collection.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon CloudWatch Logs — The CloudWatch agent can collect OS and application logs and send them to CloudWatch Logs. Options A and C are correct. Option B is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata. Option D is wrong because AWS CloudTrail captures API calls. Option E is wrong because Amazon Inspector is for vulnerability assessment.
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A DevOps engineer needs to monitor failed SSH login attempts to Amazon EC2 instances. Which AWS service should the engineer use to collect and analyze the login events?
easyWhy B: Option A is correct because CloudWatch Logs can collect log files from EC2 instances via the CloudWatch agent and can be used to search for failed SSH attempts. Option B is wrong because AWS Config tracks resource configuration changes, not OS-level logs. Option C is wrong because CloudTrail logs API calls, not OS login events. Option D is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not OS authentication events.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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