Quick Answer
The answer is VPC Traffic Mirroring, because it is the only AWS service that enables you to capture network traffic for data exfiltration investigation at the packet level without impacting the source EC2 instance. By mirroring all inbound and outbound traffic—including full packet payloads—to a monitoring appliance, you can perform deep packet inspection to analyze the content being sent to the unknown IP address, providing concrete evidence of exfiltration. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between network-level capture tools and higher-level logging services; a common trap is choosing VPC Flow Logs, which record metadata (IPs, ports, protocols) but not payload contents, making them insufficient for proving data exfiltration. Remember: if you need to see the actual data being sent, you need Traffic Mirroring—think “mirror the payload, not just the path.”
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 data exfiltration incident where an EC2 instance is sending large volumes of data to an unknown IP address. Which AWS service should the engineer use to capture and analyze the network traffic for evidence?
AWS WAF
Why wrong: AWS WAF is for web application firewall, not network traffic capture.
AWS Shield
Why wrong: AWS Shield is for DDoS protection, not traffic capture.
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Amazon Inspector is for vulnerability assessments, not traffic capture.
VPC Traffic Mirroring
VPC Traffic Mirroring can capture and inspect network traffic from EC2 instances.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
VPC Traffic Mirroring
VPC Traffic Mirroring is the correct choice because it allows you to capture and inspect network traffic from an EC2 instance by mirroring the traffic to a monitoring appliance or a security tool. This enables deep packet inspection to analyze the contents of the data being sent to the unknown IP address, providing evidence for data exfiltration. Unlike other services, Traffic Mirroring operates at the network level, copying all packets (including payloads) without affecting the source instance.
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 WAF
Why it's wrong here
AWS WAF is for web application firewall, not network traffic capture.
AWS Shield
Why it's wrong here
AWS Shield is for DDoS protection, not traffic capture.
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Inspector is for vulnerability assessments, not traffic capture.
VPC Traffic Mirroring
Why this is correct
VPC Traffic Mirroring can capture and inspect network traffic from EC2 instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse VPC Traffic Mirroring with VPC Flow Logs, but Flow Logs only capture metadata (source/destination IP, ports, protocol, packet count) and not the actual packet payloads, making them insufficient for evidence of data exfiltration content.
Detailed technical explanation
VPC Traffic Mirroring uses a filter and a session to copy packets from an Elastic Network Interface (ENI) to a target, such as a Network Load Balancer or another ENI, where tools like Suricata or Zeek can analyze the traffic. It supports both ingress and egress traffic and can filter by protocol, port, or IP range using 5-tuple rules. In a real-world scenario, an engineer would mirror the EC2 instance's ENI to a security appliance in a separate VPC to capture the full packet stream, including encrypted payloads that may require decryption for analysis.
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: VPC Traffic Mirroring — VPC Traffic Mirroring is the correct choice because it allows you to capture and inspect network traffic from an EC2 instance by mirroring the traffic to a monitoring appliance or a security tool. This enables deep packet inspection to analyze the contents of the data being sent to the unknown IP address, providing evidence for data exfiltration. Unlike other services, Traffic Mirroring operates at the network level, copying all packets (including payloads) without affecting the source instance.
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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