- A
Amazon Detective
Why wrong: Detective analyzes findings but does not trigger remediation.
- B
Amazon RDS Enhanced Monitoring
Why wrong: Provides OS-level metrics, not database query monitoring.
- C
AWS Lambda
Lambda can be used to automate response actions.
- D
Amazon RDS Performance Insights
Why wrong: Performance Insights focuses on database performance, not security.
- E
Amazon GuardDuty
GuardDuty can detect suspicious activity on RDS, such as unusual login patterns.
Question 824 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 engineer needs to detect and respond to suspicious activity on an Amazon RDS database. Which TWO services can be used together to monitor database activity and trigger automated remediation?
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 Lambda
AWS Lambda is correct because it can be triggered by Amazon RDS database activity streams (e.g., via Amazon RDS for MySQL or PostgreSQL) or by Amazon CloudWatch Events/EventBridge rules that detect suspicious database events (such as failed login attempts or unusual query patterns). Lambda functions can then execute automated remediation actions, such as revoking database access, rotating credentials, or isolating the database instance. This enables a serverless, event-driven response to threats without manual intervention.
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.
- ✗
Amazon Detective
Why it's wrong here
Detective analyzes findings but does not trigger remediation.
- ✗
Amazon RDS Enhanced Monitoring
Why it's wrong here
Provides OS-level metrics, not database query monitoring.
- ✓
AWS Lambda
Why this is correct
Lambda can be used to automate response actions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon RDS Performance Insights
Why it's wrong here
Performance Insights focuses on database performance, not security.
- ✓
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
GuardDuty can detect suspicious activity on RDS, such as unusual login patterns.
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 confuse monitoring services (Enhanced Monitoring, Performance Insights) with security detection and response services, or they overlook that GuardDuty alone cannot perform automated remediation—it requires a compute service like Lambda to execute the response actions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Amazon RDS can publish database activity streams to Amazon Kinesis Data Streams, which can then be consumed by AWS Lambda via a Kinesis trigger; alternatively, Lambda can be invoked by Amazon EventBridge rules that match patterns from AWS CloudTrail (e.g., RDS API calls like AuthorizeDBSecurityGroupIngress) or from GuardDuty findings. A real-world scenario is using Lambda to automatically revoke a database user's privileges or add a network ACL block when GuardDuty detects a known malicious IP address connecting to the RDS instance, achieving sub-minute response times.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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?
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 Lambda — AWS Lambda is correct because it can be triggered by Amazon RDS database activity streams (e.g., via Amazon RDS for MySQL or PostgreSQL) or by Amazon CloudWatch Events/EventBridge rules that detect suspicious database events (such as failed login attempts or unusual query patterns). Lambda functions can then execute automated remediation actions, such as revoking database access, rotating credentials, or isolating the database instance. This enables a serverless, event-driven response to threats without manual intervention.
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: Jul 4, 2026
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