The answer is to create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the specific API call and sends an SNS notification. This is the most efficient approach because CloudWatch Events (now called Amazon EventBridge) can filter in real time for the exact `DeleteTrail` API call made by a specific IAM user, then trigger an SNS topic to alert the security engineer via email or SMS. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of event-driven monitoring versus log analysis—common traps include choosing CloudTrail itself (which logs but does not alert) or GuardDuty (which detects threats, not specific user actions). A key memory tip: think of CloudWatch Events as the "if this, then that" for AWS API calls, while CloudTrail is just the recording tape. Remember the mnemonic "CWE for alerts, CT for logs" to avoid mixing them up on exam day.
SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
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 needs to monitor AWS API calls for potential unauthorized access. The engineer wants to be alerted when a specific IAM user performs a high-risk action like deleting a CloudTrail trail. What is the MOST efficient way to achieve this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the API call and sends an SNS notification.
Option A is correct because CloudWatch Events can filter for specific API calls and trigger an SNS notification. Option B is wrong because CloudTrail does not have built-in alerting. Option C is wrong because Athena is for querying logs, not real-time alerting. Option D is wrong because GuardDuty does not monitor for specific API calls by a user. Option E is wrong because VPC Flow Logs are for network traffic.
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.
✗
Configure CloudTrail to send logs to CloudWatch Logs and create a metric filter with an alarm.
Why it's wrong here
This is also valid but less efficient than CloudWatch Events.
✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs and analyze with Elasticsearch.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs are for network traffic, not API calls.
✗
Use Amazon Athena to query CloudTrail logs daily for the action.
Why it's wrong here
Athena is not real-time.
✗
Enable Amazon GuardDuty with a custom threat list.
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty does not monitor for specific API calls by a user.
✓
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the API call and sends an SNS notification.
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Events can filter CloudTrail events in real-time.
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 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
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: Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the API call and sends an SNS notification. — Option A is correct because CloudWatch Events can filter for specific API calls and trigger an SNS notification. Option B is wrong because CloudTrail does not have built-in alerting. Option C is wrong because Athena is for querying logs, not real-time alerting. Option D is wrong because GuardDuty does not monitor for specific API calls by a user. Option E is wrong because VPC Flow Logs are for network traffic.
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.
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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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