Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudTrail, AWS Config, and Amazon GuardDuty. CloudTrail is the primary service for logging cross-account access because it records all API calls, including critical events like AssumeRole or actions performed by an IAM role from another account, capturing the source identity and target resource for audit trails. AWS Config tracks configuration changes to resources, which can reveal when cross-account permissions are altered or when a resource becomes accessible from another account. GuardDuty uses threat intelligence to detect suspicious cross-account activity, such as anomalous API calls or unauthorized access patterns. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between logging (CloudTrail), configuration tracking (Config), and threat detection (GuardDuty) for cross-account monitoring. A common trap is choosing IAM Access Analyzer, which identifies intended cross-account access but does not log or detect actual access events. Memory tip: think “Logs, Configs, and Threats” — CloudTrail logs the action, Config tracks the state, and GuardDuty detects the anomaly.
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 cross-account access to resources. Which THREE AWS services can be used to log or detect such access? (Choose THREE.)
AWS CloudTrail
Logs API calls including cross-account access.
Amazon VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Captures network traffic, not cross-account API access.
Amazon GuardDuty
Detects suspicious cross-account activity.
AWS Config
Aggregates configuration changes across accounts.
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Assesses vulnerabilities, not access 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 correct because it logs all API calls made to the AWS environment, including cross-account access events such as AssumeRole, GetFederationToken, or any action performed by an IAM role from another account. These logs capture the source identity, target resource, and request parameters, enabling security engineers to detect and audit cross-account activity.
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
Logs API calls including cross-account access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Captures network traffic, not cross-account API access.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
Detects suspicious cross-account activity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Config
Why this is correct
Aggregates configuration changes across accounts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Assesses vulnerabilities, not access logging.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse network-level logging (VPC Flow Logs) with API-level logging (CloudTrail) or assume vulnerability scanners (Inspector) can detect access events, but only CloudTrail, GuardDuty, and Config provide the necessary identity and resource-level visibility for cross-account access monitoring.
Detailed technical explanation
Cross-account access typically relies on AWS Security Token Service (STS) to issue temporary credentials via AssumeRole API calls. CloudTrail logs these events with the source account ID, role ARN, and session name, while GuardDuty uses anomaly detection models to identify suspicious cross-account activity (e.g., unusual AssumeRole patterns from unfamiliar accounts). AWS Config can track resource-level changes, such as modifications to S3 bucket policies that grant cross-account permissions, by recording configuration history and evaluating rules against desired states.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail — AWS CloudTrail is correct because it logs all API calls made to the AWS environment, including cross-account access events such as AssumeRole, GetFederationToken, or any action performed by an IAM role from another account. These logs capture the source identity, target resource, and request parameters, enabling security engineers to detect and audit cross-account activity.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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