Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudTrail. CloudTrail is the correct choice because it captures every AWS KMS API call as a detailed event, recording who made the request, the exact timestamp, and the specific operation performed—such as Encrypt, Decrypt, or GenerateDataKey—allowing you to audit KMS key usage in full. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of CloudTrail’s role as the primary audit trail for KMS actions, often appearing alongside traps like Amazon Inspector or AWS Config, which focus on vulnerability scanning or resource compliance rather than API-level logging. A common memory tip is to think of CloudTrail as the “who, when, what” recorder for every key operation, while KMS itself does not store usage logs. For quick recall, remember the mnemonic “CT logs KMS calls”—CloudTrail logs every KMS call.
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of data protection. 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 company uses AWS KMS to encrypt data in Amazon S3. The security team needs to audit all KMS key usage, including who used the key, when, and what operation was performed. Which AWS service should be used to meet this requirement?
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail logs KMS API calls for auditing.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty detects threats, not audit logs.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config records configuration changes, not API calls.
AWS CloudHSM
Why wrong: CloudHSM manages hardware security modules, not logging.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS CloudTrail
AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records all AWS KMS API calls as events, including who made the request, the source IP address, the time of the request, and the specific operation performed (e.g., Encrypt, Decrypt, GenerateDataKey). These audit logs are stored in an S3 bucket and can be analyzed to meet the security team's requirement for full key usage auditing.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs KMS API calls for auditing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty detects threats, not audit logs.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config records configuration changes, not API calls.
AWS CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
CloudHSM manages hardware security modules, not logging.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config's compliance monitoring with CloudTrail's API auditing, or assume GuardDuty's threat detection includes detailed usage logs, when in fact only CloudTrail provides the granular, user-specific API call records required for auditing KMS key usage.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, CloudTrail captures KMS events via the KMS API, which are delivered as JSON records containing fields like `userIdentity`, `eventTime`, `eventSource` (kms.amazonaws.com), and `eventName` (e.g., Decrypt). A subtle behavior is that CloudTrail can log both management events (e.g., CreateKey) and data events (e.g., Decrypt), but data events for KMS must be explicitly enabled in the trail configuration; otherwise, only management events are logged by default. In a real-world scenario, failing to enable data event logging would miss critical operations like Decrypt calls, leading to incomplete audit trails.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Data Protection — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Data Protection practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All SCS-C02 questions
1,738 questions across all exam domains
AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
SCS-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Threat Detection and Incident Response.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Security Logging and Monitoring.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Identity and Access Management.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Management and Security Governance.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Infrastructure Security.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Data Protection.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 fundamentals.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 scenario.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Data Protection — This question tests Data Protection — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail — AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records all AWS KMS API calls as events, including who made the request, the source IP address, the time of the request, and the specific operation performed (e.g., Encrypt, Decrypt, GenerateDataKey). These audit logs are stored in an S3 bucket and can be analyzed to meet the security team's requirement for full key usage auditing.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Keep practising
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.