- A
Aggregate logs in an EC2 instance running an ELK stack.
Why wrong: EC2 is not managed or scalable.
- B
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose to stream logs to an S3 bucket and process with AWS Lambda.
Why wrong: Kinesis and Lambda add cost and complexity.
- C
Configure VPC Flow Logs to send to a centralized CloudWatch Logs account using cross-account subscriptions.
Why wrong: Cross-account subscriptions incur data transfer costs and are less scalable.
- D
Use AWS Organizations to centralize logging by delivering VPC Flow Logs to a centralized S3 bucket and query with Amazon Athena.
This approach is scalable, cost-effective, and uses managed services.
Question 1,230 of 1,748
SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
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 team wants to centrally collect and analyze VPC Flow Logs from multiple AWS accounts for security monitoring. Which solution is MOST scalable and cost-effective?
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 AWS Organizations to centralize logging by delivering VPC Flow Logs to a centralized S3 bucket and query with Amazon Athena.
Option D is correct because using AWS Organizations to centrally deliver VPC Flow Logs to a centralized S3 bucket, then querying with Amazon Athena, is both scalable and cost-effective. S3 provides durable, low-cost storage for large volumes of log data, and Athena allows serverless, pay-per-query analysis without provisioning infrastructure. This approach avoids the operational overhead of managing EC2 instances or streaming pipelines, and scales seamlessly as log volume grows.
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.
- ✗
Aggregate logs in an EC2 instance running an ELK stack.
Why it's wrong here
EC2 is not managed or scalable.
- ✗
Use Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose to stream logs to an S3 bucket and process with AWS Lambda.
Why it's wrong here
Kinesis and Lambda add cost and complexity.
- ✗
Configure VPC Flow Logs to send to a centralized CloudWatch Logs account using cross-account subscriptions.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-account subscriptions incur data transfer costs and are less scalable.
- ✓
Use AWS Organizations to centralize logging by delivering VPC Flow Logs to a centralized S3 bucket and query with Amazon Athena.
Why this is correct
This approach is scalable, cost-effective, and uses managed services.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often overcomplicate the solution by choosing a streaming or real-time processing service (like Kinesis or CloudWatch Logs) when the requirement is for cost-effective batch analysis, not real-time alerting.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC Flow Logs can be published directly to an S3 bucket in a central logging account using a resource-based policy on the bucket, enabled via AWS Organizations to automate delivery across all member accounts. Athena uses Presto-based SQL to query data in S3, and partitioning by date or account ID can drastically reduce query costs by scanning only relevant data. A subtle behavior is that VPC Flow Logs are delivered in GZIP format, which Athena can query natively, but you must define the table schema to match the flow log version (e.g., version 2 includes fields like account-id and instance-id).
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 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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 AWS Organizations to centralize logging by delivering VPC Flow Logs to a centralized S3 bucket and query with Amazon Athena. — Option D is correct because using AWS Organizations to centrally deliver VPC Flow Logs to a centralized S3 bucket, then querying with Amazon Athena, is both scalable and cost-effective. S3 provides durable, low-cost storage for large volumes of log data, and Athena allows serverless, pay-per-query analysis without provisioning infrastructure. This approach avoids the operational overhead of managing EC2 instances or streaming pipelines, and scales seamlessly as log volume grows.
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 →
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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