- A
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector assesses software vulnerabilities, not network traffic.
- B
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty provides threat detection but does not capture raw traffic.
- C
VPC Flow Logs
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata for analysis.
- D
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail records API activity, not network packets.
Question 1,322 of 1,748
Capturing EC2 Outbound Network Traffic with VPC Flow Logs — AWS Security Specialty Explained
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 notices that an EC2 instance is sending outbound traffic to an unknown IP address. The engineer needs to capture and analyze the network traffic to determine what data is being exfiltrated. Which AWS service should be used to capture the traffic for analysis?
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
✓
VPC Flow Logs
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata (source/destination IP, ports, protocol, packet/byte counts) for network interfaces in a VPC. This metadata can be analyzed to identify the unknown IP address, traffic volume, and communication patterns, helping determine if data exfiltration is occurring. However, VPC Flow Logs do not capture packet payloads; for full packet capture, you would need a tool like Amazon VPC Traffic Mirroring or a third-party network appliance.
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.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector assesses software vulnerabilities, not network traffic.
- ✗
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty provides threat detection but does not capture raw traffic.
- ✓
VPC Flow Logs
Why this is correct
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata for analysis.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail records API activity, not network packets.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse VPC Flow Logs (metadata only) with full packet capture, or they incorrectly assume GuardDuty or CloudTrail can capture raw network traffic for forensic analysis.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC Flow Logs are published to Amazon CloudWatch Logs or Amazon S3 as log streams containing fields like srcaddr, dstaddr, pkt-srcaddr, pkt-dstaddr, bytes, and packets. The logs use the default aggregation interval of 10 minutes (or 1 minute with the '1-minute' option), and they capture only metadata, not payloads. For deep packet inspection (e.g., to see exfiltrated data content), you would need VPC Traffic Mirroring or a third-party agent like tcpdump on the instance.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: VPC Flow Logs — VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata (source/destination IP, ports, protocol, packet/byte counts) for network interfaces in a VPC. This metadata can be analyzed to identify the unknown IP address, traffic volume, and communication patterns, helping determine if data exfiltration is occurring. However, VPC Flow Logs do not capture packet payloads; for full packet capture, you would need a tool like Amazon VPC Traffic Mirroring or a third-party network appliance.
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.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SCS-C02
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 security engineer needs to monitor for unusual outbound network traffic from an EC2 instance. Which AWS service provides this capability?
medium- A.Amazon CloudWatch Logs agent
- ✓ B.VPC Flow Logs
- C.Amazon Inspector
- D.AWS Config
Why B: VPC Flow Logs capture metadata about IP traffic going to and from network interfaces in a VPC, including source/destination IPs, ports, protocols, and packet counts. This allows a security engineer to analyze outbound traffic patterns from an EC2 instance and detect anomalies such as data exfiltration or communication with known malicious IPs. The logs can be published to Amazon CloudWatch Logs or Amazon S3 for further analysis with tools like Amazon Athena or third-party SIEMs.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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