- A
Send all logs to CloudWatch Logs and set a retention policy of one year.
Why wrong: CloudWatch Logs is more expensive for long-term storage compared to S3, and retention for one year would incur high costs.
- B
Send logs directly to an S3 bucket and use Amazon Athena to query logs in real time.
Why wrong: S3 does not support real-time search; Athena is for ad-hoc queries on stored data, not real-time alerting.
- C
Use the CloudWatch agent to send logs to CloudWatch Logs for real-time monitoring, then export logs to Amazon S3 daily, and use S3 lifecycle policies to expire logs after one year.
This provides real-time monitoring via CloudWatch Logs and cost-effective long-term storage in S3.
- D
Send logs to Amazon OpenSearch Service (formerly Elasticsearch) with a one-year retention policy.
Why wrong: OpenSearch Service provides real-time search but requires ongoing cluster management, increasing operational overhead.
SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 is migrating its on-premises log aggregation system to AWS. They have multiple applications running on EC2 instances that generate logs in JSON format. The security team needs a centralized logging solution that can ingest logs from all instances, store them durably, and allow real-time searching and alerting. The team also needs to retain logs for at least one year for compliance. The current plan is to use Amazon CloudWatch Logs for ingestion and search, but the team is concerned about the cost of long-term storage and the need for ad-hoc querying. Which solution meets the requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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
Use the CloudWatch agent to send logs to CloudWatch Logs for real-time monitoring, then export logs to Amazon S3 daily, and use S3 lifecycle policies to expire logs after one year.
The correct answer is C. Using the CloudWatch agent to send logs to CloudWatch Logs provides real-time monitoring and alerting. Daily export to S3 ensures durable, low-cost long-term storage with lifecycle policies to expire logs after one year. This approach minimizes operational overhead by leveraging managed services without additional cluster management. Option A (CloudWatch Logs only) is costly for one-year retention. Option B (direct to S3 with Athena) lacks real-time search. Option D (OpenSearch Service) requires cluster management, increasing overhead.
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.
- ✗
Send all logs to CloudWatch Logs and set a retention policy of one year.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs is more expensive for long-term storage compared to S3, and retention for one year would incur high costs.
- ✗
Send logs directly to an S3 bucket and use Amazon Athena to query logs in real time.
Why it's wrong here
S3 does not support real-time search; Athena is for ad-hoc queries on stored data, not real-time alerting.
- ✓
Use the CloudWatch agent to send logs to CloudWatch Logs for real-time monitoring, then export logs to Amazon S3 daily, and use S3 lifecycle policies to expire logs after one year.
Why this is correct
This provides real-time monitoring via CloudWatch Logs and cost-effective long-term storage in S3.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Send logs to Amazon OpenSearch Service (formerly Elasticsearch) with a one-year retention policy.
Why it's wrong here
OpenSearch Service provides real-time search but requires ongoing cluster management, increasing operational overhead.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
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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: Use the CloudWatch agent to send logs to CloudWatch Logs for real-time monitoring, then export logs to Amazon S3 daily, and use S3 lifecycle policies to expire logs after one year. — The correct answer is C. Using the CloudWatch agent to send logs to CloudWatch Logs provides real-time monitoring and alerting. Daily export to S3 ensures durable, low-cost long-term storage with lifecycle policies to expire logs after one year. This approach minimizes operational overhead by leveraging managed services without additional cluster management. Option A (CloudWatch Logs only) is costly for one-year retention. Option B (direct to S3 with Athena) lacks real-time search. Option D (OpenSearch Service) requires cluster management, increasing overhead.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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