- A
AWS CloudTrail, Amazon CloudWatch Logs, and Amazon EventBridge.
Correct combination for real-time alerting on API calls.
- B
Amazon Inspector and AWS CloudTrail.
Why wrong: Inspector is for security assessments.
- C
Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Lambda.
Why wrong: GuardDuty does not monitor custom API calls.
- D
AWS Config and Amazon SNS.
Why wrong: Config is for configuration changes, not real-time API monitoring.
Question 889 of 1,748
SCS-C02 Threat Detection and Incident Response Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of threat detection and incident response. 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 analyst needs to detect and alert on suspicious API calls in real time. Which combination of AWS services should be used?
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
✓
AWS CloudTrail, Amazon CloudWatch Logs, and Amazon EventBridge.
AWS CloudTrail captures API calls and delivers log files to Amazon CloudWatch Logs, where you can define metric filters to detect suspicious patterns. Amazon EventBridge then consumes those filtered log events to trigger real-time alerts or automated remediation actions. This combination provides the end-to-end pipeline needed for real-time detection and alerting on API activity.
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.
- ✓
AWS CloudTrail, Amazon CloudWatch Logs, and Amazon EventBridge.
Why this is correct
Correct combination for real-time alerting on API calls.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector and AWS CloudTrail.
Why it's wrong here
Inspector is for security assessments.
- ✗
Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Lambda.
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty does not monitor custom API calls.
- ✗
AWS Config and Amazon SNS.
Why it's wrong here
Config is for configuration changes, not real-time API monitoring.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume GuardDuty alone can provide real-time API call alerts, but GuardDuty findings are based on aggregated threat intelligence and behavioral analysis, not real-time per-API-call filtering, whereas CloudTrail plus CloudWatch Logs plus EventBridge gives you precise, real-time control over specific API actions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail delivers events to CloudWatch Logs via a trail configuration that specifies a log group; you then create a metric filter on that log group to match patterns (e.g., specific error codes or IAM actions) and set an alarm that publishes to an SNS topic. EventBridge can also directly consume CloudTrail events via a default event bus, enabling rule-based routing to targets like Lambda or SNS for sub-second response. This architecture supports real-time detection because CloudTrail delivers events within about 15 minutes of the API call, and CloudWatch Logs metric filters evaluate incoming log events continuously.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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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Threat Detection and Incident Response — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Threat Detection and Incident Response — This question tests Threat Detection and Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail, Amazon CloudWatch Logs, and Amazon EventBridge. — AWS CloudTrail captures API calls and delivers log files to Amazon CloudWatch Logs, where you can define metric filters to detect suspicious patterns. Amazon EventBridge then consumes those filtered log events to trigger real-time alerts or automated remediation actions. This combination provides the end-to-end pipeline needed for real-time detection and alerting on API activity.
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
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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