Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon CloudWatch Logs, as it is the native AWS service designed to centralize logs from multiple accounts for monitoring and alerting. CloudWatch Logs achieves this through cross-account log group subscriptions, where logs from member accounts can be streamed into a central monitoring account, or by using Amazon Kinesis Data Streams as an intermediary to aggregate log data from various sources before ingestion. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of log aggregation architecture versus other services’ specific roles—a common trap is confusing CloudTrail (which only records API activity) or S3 (a storage layer, not a monitoring service) with CloudWatch Logs’ broader log collection capability. Remember the memory tip: “CloudWatch watches all logs; CloudTrail trails only API calls.”
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. 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 company wants to centrally collect and analyze logs from multiple AWS accounts. Which AWS service should be used to aggregate logs from various sources for monitoring and alerting?
Amazon S3
Why wrong: S3 is object storage; it can store logs but not aggregate and monitor.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config tracks configuration changes, not log aggregation.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail is for API activity logs, not general log aggregation.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
CloudWatch Logs can aggregate logs from multiple sources and accounts.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
CloudWatch Logs can aggregate logs from multiple accounts using cross-account log groups or with the help of Kinesis. Option B is correct because CloudWatch Logs is the primary log aggregation service. Option A is wrong because CloudTrail is for API logging, not general log aggregation. Option C is wrong because S3 is storage, not a monitoring service. Option D is wrong because Config is for configuration tracking.
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.
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 is object storage; it can store logs but not aggregate and monitor.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config tracks configuration changes, not log aggregation.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail is for API activity logs, not general log aggregation.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Logs can aggregate logs from multiple sources and accounts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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 SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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: Amazon CloudWatch Logs — CloudWatch Logs can aggregate logs from multiple accounts using cross-account log groups or with the help of Kinesis. Option B is correct because CloudWatch Logs is the primary log aggregation service. Option A is wrong because CloudTrail is for API logging, not general log aggregation. Option C is wrong because S3 is storage, not a monitoring service. Option D is wrong because Config is for configuration tracking.
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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
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. Which TWO AWS services can be used to centrally collect and analyze logs from multiple AWS accounts? (Select TWO.)
easyWhy B: Options A and B are correct. Amazon S3 can be used as a central log destination, and Amazon Athena can query logs directly in S3. Option C is wrong because Amazon Inspector is for vulnerability assessment, not log analysis. Option D is wrong because AWS Config is for resource configuration tracking. Option E is wrong because AWS Shield is for DDoS protection.
Variation 2. Which TWO AWS services can be used to centrally collect and analyze logs from multiple AWS accounts? (Choose two.)
mediumWhy A: Option A is correct because Amazon S3 can serve as a central log repository. Option C is correct because Amazon CloudWatch Logs can aggregate logs from multiple accounts using cross-account subscriptions. Option B is wrong because Amazon Athena is a query service, not a collector. Option D is wrong because AWS CloudTrail is a log generator, not a central collector. Option E is wrong because Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose is a delivery service, not a storage/analysis service.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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