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 investigating a potential compromise of an EC2 instance. The engineer wants to capture memory and disk forensics without shutting down the instance. Which service should the engineer use?
AWS Config
Why wrong: AWS Config monitors configuration changes, not forensic data capture.
AWS Systems Manager
Systems Manager allows running forensic scripts and commands without SSH.
EC2 Instance Connect
Why wrong: EC2 Instance Connect provides SSH access but does not have built-in forensic capabilities.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs is for log collection, not capture of memory or disk images.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Systems Manager
AWS Systems Manager (SSM) is the correct service because it provides the capability to perform forensic data collection on a running EC2 instance without shutting it down. Specifically, SSM Automation documents like AWS-RunShellScript or AWS-GatherEC2InstanceInfo can execute commands to capture memory (e.g., using LiME or fmem) and disk forensics (e.g., dd or volume snapshots) via the SSM Agent, which runs as a system service and does not require instance termination.
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 Config
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config monitors configuration changes, not forensic data capture.
AWS Systems Manager
Why this is correct
Systems Manager allows running forensic scripts and commands without SSH.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
EC2 Instance Connect
Why it's wrong here
EC2 Instance Connect provides SSH access but does not have built-in forensic capabilities.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs is for log collection, not capture of memory or disk images.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse AWS Systems Manager with EC2 Instance Connect, thinking that SSH access alone is sufficient for forensic collection, but Systems Manager provides the necessary automation and agent-based execution to capture memory and disk data without requiring the instance to be stopped or terminated.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, AWS Systems Manager uses the SSM Agent (a process running on the instance) to execute commands or automation workflows via the Systems Manager API. For memory forensics, you can use the AWS-ConfigureAWSPackage document to install tools like LiME, then run a shell script to dump memory to a file, which can be uploaded to S3. For disk forensics, you can use the AWS-CreateSnapshot document to take an EBS snapshot of the root volume without detaching it, preserving the disk state for offline analysis. A subtle behavior is that the SSM Agent must have outbound internet access (or a VPC endpoint) to receive commands, and the instance must have an appropriate IAM role (AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore) attached.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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: AWS Systems Manager — AWS Systems Manager (SSM) is the correct service because it provides the capability to perform forensic data collection on a running EC2 instance without shutting it down. Specifically, SSM Automation documents like AWS-RunShellScript or AWS-GatherEC2InstanceInfo can execute commands to capture memory (e.g., using LiME or fmem) and disk forensics (e.g., dd or volume snapshots) via the SSM Agent, which runs as a system service and does not require instance termination.
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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