- A
AWS Systems Manager
Why wrong: Systems Manager manages instances but not AMI compliance by default.
- B
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector is for vulnerability scanning.
- C
AWS Config
Config detects non-compliant resources and can auto-remediate.
- D
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs but does not remediate.
Question 63 of 1,748
SCS-C02 Management and Security Governance Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of management and security governance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 wants to enforce that all EC2 instances use a specific AMI ID. Which AWS service can be used to detect and remediate non-compliant instances?
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 Config
AWS Config is the correct service because it continuously evaluates your AWS resource configurations against desired policies, such as requiring a specific AMI ID for all EC2 instances. You can create an AWS Config rule (e.g., a custom Lambda rule or a managed rule like 'ec2-instance-managed-by-systems-manager') to detect non-compliant instances, and then use AWS Config auto-remediation with Systems Manager Automation documents to terminate or replace them. This directly enforces compliance by both detecting and remediating violations.
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 Systems Manager
Why it's wrong here
Systems Manager manages instances but not AMI compliance by default.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector is for vulnerability scanning.
- ✓
AWS Config
Why this is correct
Config detects non-compliant resources and can auto-remediate.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs but does not remediate.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config with AWS Systems Manager because both can perform remediation, but only AWS Config provides continuous configuration evaluation and rule-based detection of non-compliant resources like AMI IDs.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS Config uses a configuration recorder to track resource changes and evaluates them against rules defined in AWS Config managed rules or custom Lambda functions. For AMI ID enforcement, you can use the 'ec2-instance-managed-by-systems-manager' managed rule with a parameter specifying the allowed AMI ID, or a custom rule that queries the EC2 instance's imageId and compares it to a whitelist. A real-world scenario is a financial services company that must ensure all EC2 instances run a hardened, pre-approved AMI to meet PCI DSS requirements; AWS Config can automatically flag and remediate any instance launched with an unauthorized AMI, even if launched by an auto-scaling group.
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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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?
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Config — AWS Config is the correct service because it continuously evaluates your AWS resource configurations against desired policies, such as requiring a specific AMI ID for all EC2 instances. You can create an AWS Config rule (e.g., a custom Lambda rule or a managed rule like 'ec2-instance-managed-by-systems-manager') to detect non-compliant instances, and then use AWS Config auto-remediation with Systems Manager Automation documents to terminate or replace them. This directly enforces compliance by both detecting and remediating violations.
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: Jun 24, 2026
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