The answer is to enable AWS CloudTrail for logging IAM policy changes and configure S3 Object Lock in compliance mode on the destination S3 bucket. CloudTrail captures all API calls that modify IAM policies, such as PutRolePolicy or AttachUserPolicy, and delivers those logs as immutable records to an S3 bucket. S3 Object Lock in compliance mode then prevents any user, including the root user, from deleting or overwriting those log objects for the specified retention period, because compliance mode locks the data with a legal hold that cannot be removed by any account administrator. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of detective controls combined with data protection—a common trap is confusing versioning or MFA delete with true immutability, but only Object Lock in compliance mode provides a hard, irreversible barrier against deletion. Remember the mnemonic: CloudTrail captures the trail, Object Lock locks the log.
SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 needs to ensure that all changes to IAM policies in an AWS account are logged and that the logs are immutable and cannot be deleted by any user, including the root user. Which actions should the engineer take? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail to log IAM events.
Correct options: A (CloudTrail) and D (S3 Object Lock). CloudTrail logs IAM policy changes. S3 Object Lock prevents log deletion. Option B is wrong because MFA does not prevent deletion. Option C is wrong because S3 versioning alone does not prevent deletion. Option E is wrong because KMS encryption does not prevent deletion.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Enable default encryption with AWS KMS on the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption does not prevent deletion.
✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail to log IAM events.
Why this is correct
CloudTrail records all IAM API calls.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable S3 Versioning on the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning retains previous versions but does not prevent deletion of current versions.
✗
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) delete on the S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
MFA delete protects version deletions but not object deletions.
✓
Enable S3 Object Lock in compliance mode on the bucket.
Why this is correct
Compliance mode prevents any user from deleting objects.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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 — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable AWS CloudTrail to log IAM events. — Correct options: A (CloudTrail) and D (S3 Object Lock). CloudTrail logs IAM policy changes. S3 Object Lock prevents log deletion. Option B is wrong because MFA does not prevent deletion. Option C is wrong because S3 versioning alone does not prevent deletion. Option E is wrong because KMS encryption does not prevent deletion.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
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 →
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 security team needs to audit all changes to IAM policies in their AWS account. Which AWS service should be used?
easy
A.AWS Config
B.Amazon CloudWatch
C.IAM Access Analyzer
✓ D.AWS CloudTrail
Why D: Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail records all API calls including IAM policy changes. Option A is wrong because AWS Config records resource state but not API calls. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch is for metrics and alarms. Option D is wrong because IAM Access Analyzer finds external access, not change history.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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.
Question Discussion
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