Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudTrail, AWS Config, and AWS Security Hub. CloudTrail detects public S3 buckets by logging all PutBucketPolicy and PutBucketAcl API calls, providing an audit trail of changes that could expose data. AWS Config then evaluates these bucket policies against a managed rule like s3-bucket-public-read-prohibited, flagging any noncompliant resources in real time. Security Hub aggregates these findings from Config into a single dashboard, enabling centralized alerting and automated remediation workflows. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of detective controls versus preventive ones—a common trap is confusing S3 Block Public Access (a preventive setting) with detection. Remember the memory tip: “CloudTrail catches the action, Config checks the rule, Security Hub sounds the alarm.”
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of management and security governance. 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 engineer is designing a solution to detect and alert on any S3 bucket that is publicly accessible. Which THREE services can be used together to achieve this?
AWS Security Hub
Aggregates findings from Config and other services.
Amazon S3 Block Public Access settings
Why wrong: This is a preventive control, not detection/alerting.
AWS Config
Can evaluate bucket policies for public access compliance.
AWS CloudTrail
Logs API calls that change bucket policies.
Amazon VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Flow logs track network traffic, not bucket policies.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Security Hub
Option A is correct: CloudTrail logs S3 bucket policy changes. Option B is correct: AWS Config can evaluate bucket policies against a rule for public access. Option D is correct: S3 itself can block public access via account-level settings, but that is not detection. Option C is correct: Security Hub aggregates findings from Config. Option E is wrong: VPC Flow Logs do not deal with S3 bucket policies.
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.
AWS Security Hub
Why this is correct
Aggregates findings from Config and other services.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon S3 Block Public Access settings
Why it's wrong here
This is a preventive control, not detection/alerting.
AWS Config
Why this is correct
Can evaluate bucket policies for public access compliance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
Logs API calls that change bucket policies.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Flow logs track network traffic, not bucket policies.
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.
Management and Security Governance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Management and Security Governance practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
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FAQ
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Security Hub — Option A is correct: CloudTrail logs S3 bucket policy changes. Option B is correct: AWS Config can evaluate bucket policies against a rule for public access. Option D is correct: S3 itself can block public access via account-level settings, but that is not detection. Option C is correct: Security Hub aggregates findings from Config. Option E is wrong: VPC Flow Logs do not deal with S3 bucket policies.
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. A security engineer needs to ensure that an Amazon S3 bucket is not publicly accessible. Which AWS service can be used to continuously monitor and alert if the bucket becomes public?
easyWhy B: Option A is correct because AWS Config has managed rules like 's3-bucket-public-read-prohibited' that can evaluate S3 bucket policies and ACLs. Option B is wrong because AWS CloudTrail records API calls but does not evaluate resource configurations. Option C is wrong because Amazon GuardDuty focuses on threat detection. Option D is wrong because AWS Trusted Advisor provides best-practice checks but not continuous monitoring and alerting.
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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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