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Threat Detection and Incident Response →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SCS-C02 Threat Detection and Incident Response Practice Question

This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of threat detection and incident response. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

CloudTrail log entry (simplified):
{
  "eventSource": "ec2.amazonaws.com",
  "eventName": "RunInstances",
  "userIdentity": {
    "arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/AdminRole",
    "accountId": "123456789012"
  },
  "requestParameters": {
    "instanceType": "m5.xlarge",
    "imageId": "ami-0abcdef1234567890",
    "securityGroupSet": [{"groupId": "sg-0123456789abcdef0"}]
  },
  "responseElements": {
    "instancesSet": {
      "items": [{"instanceId": "i-0a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8"}]
    }
  },
  "sourceIPAddress": "203.0.113.50",
  "userAgent": "console.amazonaws.com",
  "eventTime": "2025-03-15T14:30:00Z"
}

A security engineer reviews the CloudTrail log entry in the exhibit. The engineer notices that an EC2 instance was launched using an AdminRole. Which additional information would help determine if this is a legitimate action or a potential compromise?

Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

CloudTrail log entry (simplified):
{
  "eventSource": "ec2.amazonaws.com",
  "eventName": "RunInstances",
  "userIdentity": {
    "arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/AdminRole",
    "accountId": "123456789012"
  },
  "requestParameters": {
    "instanceType": "m5.xlarge",
    "imageId": "ami-0abcdef1234567890",
    "securityGroupSet": [{"groupId": "sg-0123456789abcdef0"}]
  },
  "responseElements": {
    "instancesSet": {
      "items": [{"instanceId": "i-0a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8"}]
    }
  },
  "sourceIPAddress": "203.0.113.50",
  "userAgent": "console.amazonaws.com",
  "eventTime": "2025-03-15T14:30:00Z"
}

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

✓

The source IP address 203.0.113.50 is from an unexpected geographic location not associated with the company.

The source IP address 203.0.113.50 is from an unexpected geographic location not associated with the company. In CloudTrail, the `sourceIPAddress` field records the originating IP of the API call. If an AdminRole is used from an IP outside the company's known CIDR ranges or geographic regions, it strongly indicates a potential compromise—such as stolen credentials or an attacker using the role from an unauthorized network. This is a key indicator of anomalous behavior in threat detection.

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.

  • ✗

    The AMI ID ami-0abcdef1234567890 is not a standard Amazon-provided AMI.

    Why it's wrong here

    Custom AMIs are common and not inherently suspicious.

  • ✓

    The source IP address 203.0.113.50 is from an unexpected geographic location not associated with the company.

    Why this is correct

    Anomalous source IP is a common indicator of compromise.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    The instance type m5.xlarge is unusually large compared to previous launches.

    Why it's wrong here

    Instance size is not a strong indicator of compromise without context.

  • ✗

    The security group sg-0123456789abcdef0 allows inbound SSH from 0.0.0.0/0.

    Why it's wrong here

    While that would be a security issue, the log does not show the security group rules, so we cannot conclude that.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates focus on technical misconfigurations (like open security groups or unusual AMIs) rather than the behavioral anomaly of an administrative action originating from an unexpected IP, which is the most direct indicator of a potential compromise in CloudTrail logs.

Trap categories for this question

  • Command / output trap

    While that would be a security issue, the log does not show the security group rules, so we cannot conclude that.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

CloudTrail logs include the `sourceIPAddress` field, which can originate from the AWS service (e.g., ec2.amazonaws.com for cross-account actions) or the actual client IP. For IAM role-based actions, the `userIdentity` shows the role ARN, but the IP still reflects the caller's network. AWS GuardDuty uses this to detect unusual geolocations via its 'UnauthorizedAccess:EC2/SSHBruteForce' and 'Recon:EC2/PortProbe' findings. In a real-world scenario, an attacker might assume an AdminRole from a compromised AWS key and launch instances from a foreign IP, making geographic IP analysis critical for incident response.

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 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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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: The source IP address 203.0.113.50 is from an unexpected geographic location not associated with the company. — The source IP address 203.0.113.50 is from an unexpected geographic location not associated with the company. In CloudTrail, the `sourceIPAddress` field records the originating IP of the API call. If an AdminRole is used from an IP outside the company's known CIDR ranges or geographic regions, it strongly indicates a potential compromise—such as stolen credentials or an attacker using the role from an unauthorized network. This is a key indicator of anomalous behavior in threat detection.

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.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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.