The correct answer is AWS Config and AWS CloudTrail. AWS Config provides a detailed inventory of your security group configurations and can track changes to security group rules over time, while CloudTrail records the API calls that actually make those modifications, such as AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress or RevokeSecurityGroupEgress. Together, they give you both the state change and the who, what, and when behind it, which is exactly what you need for auditing security group changes across multiple AWS accounts in an organization. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this pairing is a classic pattern for compliance and change auditing questions, and the common trap is to confuse GuardDuty’s threat detection or Trusted Advisor’s best-practice checks with audit logging. Remember it as “Config captures the rule, CloudTrail captures the call” — a simple mnemonic to keep the roles straight.
SCS-C02 Infrastructure Security Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 team needs to audit all changes to security group rules across multiple AWS accounts in an organization. Which combination of services should be used to meet this requirement?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS Config and AWS CloudTrail.
Option B is correct because AWS Config can track changes to security group rules, and CloudTrail logs API calls that modify security groups. Option A is wrong because GuardDuty is for threat detection, not auditing changes. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch Logs does not natively capture configuration changes. Option D is wrong because Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks, not audit logging.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Amazon CloudWatch Logs and AWS CloudTrail.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs stores logs but does not track configuration changes.
✗
Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Security Hub.
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty detects threats, not configuration changes.
✗
AWS Trusted Advisor and AWS Config.
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor provides recommendations, not an audit trail.
✓
AWS Config and AWS CloudTrail.
Why this is correct
AWS Config tracks resource changes; CloudTrail records API calls.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SCS-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Config and AWS CloudTrail. — Option B is correct because AWS Config can track changes to security group rules, and CloudTrail logs API calls that modify security groups. Option A is wrong because GuardDuty is for threat detection, not auditing changes. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch Logs does not natively capture configuration changes. Option D is wrong because Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks, not audit logging.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SCS-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
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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 company wants to audit all changes to security group rules in their AWS account. Which AWS service should be used to record these changes?
easy
A.Amazon CloudWatch Logs.
✓ B.AWS CloudTrail.
C.VPC Flow Logs.
D.AWS Config.
Why B: Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail records API calls, including changes to security group rules. Option A is wrong because CloudWatch Logs stores log data but does not record API calls. Option C is wrong because AWS Config records resource configuration changes but is not primarily for auditing API calls; CloudTrail is the correct service for API auditing. Option D is wrong because VPC Flow Logs captures network traffic, not configuration changes.
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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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