- A
Enable MFA delete on the log bucket.
Why wrong: MFA delete protects against deletion, not tampering.
- B
Enable log file integrity validation in CloudTrail.
Integrity validation uses hash chains to detect tampering.
- C
Enable server-side encryption with AWS KMS on the log bucket.
Why wrong: Encryption protects confidentiality, not integrity.
- D
Enable S3 versioning on the log bucket.
Why wrong: Versioning prevents overwrites but does not verify integrity.
Question 45 of 1,748
How to Verify CloudTrail Logs Have Not Been Tampered With
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. 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 company is using AWS CloudTrail to log API calls. The security team needs to ensure that log files are not tampered with and can be used to verify integrity. Which feature should be enabled?
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
✓
Enable log file integrity validation in CloudTrail.
CloudTrail log file integrity validation uses a hash chain (SHA-256) to create a digest file that proves log files have not been modified, deleted, or tampered with since delivery. This feature allows you to verify that CloudTrail log files have remained unchanged, meeting the security team's requirement for integrity verification.
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.
- ✗
Enable MFA delete on the log bucket.
Why it's wrong here
MFA delete protects against deletion, not tampering.
- ✓
Enable log file integrity validation in CloudTrail.
Why this is correct
Integrity validation uses hash chains to detect tampering.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable server-side encryption with AWS KMS on the log bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption protects confidentiality, not integrity.
- ✗
Enable S3 versioning on the log bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning prevents overwrites but does not verify integrity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse data protection features (encryption, versioning, MFA delete) with integrity verification, which specifically requires cryptographic hash validation to detect tampering.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail integrity validation works by creating hourly digest files that contain references to log files and their SHA-256 hashes, chained together using the previous digest's hash. You can use the AWS CLI command `aws cloudtrail validate-logs` to automatically verify the integrity of log files against these digests, which are signed with a private key and can be validated using the public key published by AWS. This mechanism ensures that even if an attacker gains write access to the S3 bucket, they cannot forge valid log entries without breaking the hash chain.
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 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
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.
- →
Infrastructure Security — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Infrastructure Security practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All SCS-C02 questions
1,748 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
SCS-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related SCS-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Threat Detection and Incident Response practice questions
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Threat Detection and Incident Response.
Security Logging and Monitoring practice questions
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Security Logging and Monitoring.
Identity and Access Management practice questions
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Identity and Access Management.
Management and Security Governance practice questions
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Management and Security Governance.
Infrastructure Security practice questions
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Infrastructure Security.
Data Protection practice questions
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Data Protection.
SCS-C02 fundamentals practice questions
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 fundamentals.
SCS-C02 scenario practice questions
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 scenario.
SCS-C02 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free SCS-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable log file integrity validation in CloudTrail. — CloudTrail log file integrity validation uses a hash chain (SHA-256) to create a digest file that proves log files have not been modified, deleted, or tampered with since delivery. This feature allows you to verify that CloudTrail log files have remained unchanged, meeting the security team's requirement for integrity verification.
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 company is using AWS CloudTrail to log API calls. The security team wants to ensure that log files are not modified after they are created. Which feature should they enable?
easy- A.Server-side encryption with AWS KMS
- ✓ B.Log file integrity validation
- C.S3 Object Lock
- D.CloudWatch Logs integration
Why B: CloudTrail log file integrity validation uses hash chains to detect any modification of log files after they are created. This ensures the authenticity and integrity of the logs. Option A (server-side encryption with AWS KMS) protects confidentiality but does not provide integrity verification. Option C (S3 Object Lock) prevents deletion or overwrites but does not verify integrity of existing objects. Option D (CloudWatch Logs integration) is for real-time monitoring and alerting, not integrity validation.
Keep practising
More SCS-C02 practice questions
- A company uses AWS Organizations with multiple accounts. The security team wants to enforce that all Amazon S3 buckets a…
- A company is designing a multi-tier web application on AWS. The web tier must be accessible from the internet, but the a…
- A company is migrating a legacy application to AWS. The application requires two-way communication between the web serve…
- A security engineer is troubleshooting connectivity issues between an Amazon EC2 instance in a VPC and an on-premises se…
- A security engineer is reviewing the SQS queue policy shown in the exhibit. The queue is subscribed to an SNS topic in t…
- A company uses AWS Organizations with multiple accounts. The security team wants to ensure that all IAM users in the pro…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.