Quick Answer
The answer is to investigate the source IP address and user agent of the AssumeRole calls. This is the correct first step because incident response begins with evidence gathering to determine scope and impact, not with immediate containment or remediation. The CloudTrail logs for the AssumeRole API capture the source IP and user agent, which are the most critical forensic artifacts for tracing whether the call originated from a legitimate service, a compromised host, or an external attacker. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the NIST incident response framework’s Preparation and Identification phases, and it often appears as a trap where candidates jump to revoking the role or disabling the key. Remember the memory tip: “IP and Agent first, before you burst the bubble”—always investigate the source before taking any disruptive action that could destroy evidence or alert an adversary.
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 reviewing AWS CloudTrail and notices `AssumeRole` API calls to a role that should not be assumed by the source identity. What is the FIRST step in the incident response process?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Enable AWS GuardDuty to detect future anomalies.
Why wrong: Not the first step; investigation is needed first.
Delete the IAM role immediately.
Why wrong: Would destroy evidence.
Investigate the source IP address and user agent of the `AssumeRole` calls.
Helps determine if the activity is malicious.
Disable the AWS account and contact support.
Why wrong: Premature and may impact operations.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Investigate the source IP address and user agent of the `AssumeRole` calls.
The first step in any incident response process is to investigate and gather evidence to understand the scope and impact of the potential security event. Option C is correct because analyzing the source IP address and user agent of the `AssumeRole` API calls provides critical forensic data to determine if the activity is malicious or a false positive, without disrupting operations or destroying evidence. AWS CloudTrail logs these details, enabling the security engineer to trace the origin of the unauthorized assumption before taking any containment or remediation actions.
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.
Enable AWS GuardDuty to detect future anomalies.
Why it's wrong here
Not the first step; investigation is needed first.
Delete the IAM role immediately.
Why it's wrong here
Would destroy evidence.
Investigate the source IP address and user agent of the `AssumeRole` calls.
Why this is correct
Helps determine if the activity is malicious.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Disable the AWS account and contact support.
Why it's wrong here
Premature and may impact operations.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often jump to containment actions like deleting the role or disabling the account, forgetting that the first step in incident response is always to investigate and gather evidence to confirm the threat and preserve forensic data.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, AWS CloudTrail records `AssumeRole` events with the `sourceIPAddress` and `userAgent` attributes in the `userIdentity` and `requestParameters` fields, which can be queried via the AWS CLI or Athena for forensic analysis. The incident response framework (NIST SP 800-61) emphasizes the 'Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment, Eradication, and Recovery' phases, where analysis of logs is the immediate priority after detection to validate the alert. In a real-world scenario, the source IP might reveal a known malicious IP range or an internal compromised instance, guiding the next steps such as isolating the source or revoking temporary credentials.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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: Investigate the source IP address and user agent of the `AssumeRole` calls. — The first step in any incident response process is to investigate and gather evidence to understand the scope and impact of the potential security event. Option C is correct because analyzing the source IP address and user agent of the `AssumeRole` API calls provides critical forensic data to determine if the activity is malicious or a false positive, without disrupting operations or destroying evidence. AWS CloudTrail logs these details, enabling the security engineer to trace the origin of the unauthorized assumption before taking any containment or remediation actions.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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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