- A
Use Amazon GuardDuty to block the IP and enable VPC Traffic Mirroring.
Why wrong: GuardDuty detects threats but does not block traffic; Traffic Mirroring can capture packets but GuardDuty cannot block.
- B
Add a network ACL deny rule for the malicious IP, and enable VPC Traffic Mirroring.
Network ACLs support deny rules and are stateless, allowing immediate blocking; Traffic Mirroring captures full packets.
- C
Stop the EC2 instance and enable VPC Flow Logs.
Why wrong: Stopping the instance halts traffic but may not be immediate; VPC Flow Logs do not capture packet contents.
- D
Modify the security group to deny outbound traffic to the IP, and enable VPC Flow Logs.
Why wrong: Security Groups are stateful and do not support explicit deny rules for outbound traffic to a specific IP.
Quick Answer
The answer is to add a network ACL deny rule for the malicious IP and enable VPC Traffic Mirroring. This combination works because a NACL is a stateless, subnet-level firewall that can immediately block traffic to or from a specific IP address without altering the EC2 instance’s security group rules, while VPC Traffic Mirroring captures a full packet-level copy of the traffic for deep forensic analysis—unlike VPC Flow Logs, which only record metadata like source, destination, and timestamps. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of when to use stateless versus stateful controls and the difference between packet capture and flow logs; a common trap is choosing VPC Flow Logs for forensics, which lack payload data. Remember the mnemonic: “NACL blocks, Mirror copies”—NACL for immediate containment, Traffic Mirror for full packet forensics.
SCS-C02 Threat Detection and Incident Response Practice Question
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 notices that an EC2 instance is sending outbound traffic to a known malicious IP address. The engineer needs to immediately block the traffic and capture a packet capture for forensic analysis. Which combination of actions should the engineer take?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"immediately / without restart"Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Add a network ACL deny rule for the malicious IP, and enable VPC Traffic Mirroring.
Option B is correct because a network ACL (NACL) is a stateless firewall that operates at the subnet level, allowing immediate blocking of traffic to/from a specific IP address without affecting the instance's security group rules. Enabling VPC Traffic Mirroring captures a full packet-level copy of the traffic for forensic analysis, which is superior to VPC Flow Logs (which only capture metadata). This combination provides both rapid containment and deep forensic data.
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.
- ✗
Use Amazon GuardDuty to block the IP and enable VPC Traffic Mirroring.
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty detects threats but does not block traffic; Traffic Mirroring can capture packets but GuardDuty cannot block.
- ✓
Add a network ACL deny rule for the malicious IP, and enable VPC Traffic Mirroring.
Why this is correct
Network ACLs support deny rules and are stateless, allowing immediate blocking; Traffic Mirroring captures full packets.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Stop the EC2 instance and enable VPC Flow Logs.
Why it's wrong here
Stopping the instance halts traffic but may not be immediate; VPC Flow Logs do not capture packet contents.
- ✗
Modify the security group to deny outbound traffic to the IP, and enable VPC Flow Logs.
Why it's wrong here
Security Groups are stateful and do not support explicit deny rules for outbound traffic to a specific IP.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse security groups (stateful, allow-only) with network ACLs (stateless, allow/deny) and mistakenly think a security group can block a specific IP, or they assume VPC Flow Logs provide packet-level capture when they only provide metadata.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Network ACLs are stateless, meaning you must explicitly define both inbound and outbound rules for traffic to flow; a deny rule for the malicious IP in the outbound direction will immediately drop packets without requiring a corresponding inbound rule. VPC Traffic Mirroring uses a mirror filter and a target (e.g., a Network Load Balancer or another ENI) to capture all packets (including headers and payloads) from the source ENI, enabling tools like Wireshark or third-party appliances for deep forensic analysis. In contrast, VPC Flow Logs capture only flow-level metadata (e.g., 5-tuple, timestamps, packet/byte counts) and cannot reconstruct packet payloads, making them insufficient for forensic packet analysis.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Threat Detection and Incident Response — This question tests Threat Detection and Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a network ACL deny rule for the malicious IP, and enable VPC Traffic Mirroring. — Option B is correct because a network ACL (NACL) is a stateless firewall that operates at the subnet level, allowing immediate blocking of traffic to/from a specific IP address without affecting the instance's security group rules. Enabling VPC Traffic Mirroring captures a full packet-level copy of the traffic for forensic analysis, which is superior to VPC Flow Logs (which only capture metadata). This combination provides both rapid containment and deep forensic data.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "immediately / without restart". Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
What is the key concept behind this question?
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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