- A
Amazon GuardDuty
GuardDuty analyzes CloudTrail events and other data sources to detect suspicious API activity.
- B
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail logs all API calls and can be used with CloudWatch Alarms for alerting.
- C
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector assesses applications for vulnerabilities and deviations from best practices.
- D
AWS Config
Why wrong: AWS Config tracks resource changes, not API activity.
- E
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata, not API activity.
Question 548 of 1,748
Detecting Suspicious API Activity Using Amazon GuardDuty and AWS CloudTrail
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. 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 implementing a security monitoring solution for its AWS environment. Which TWO services can be used to detect and alert on suspicious API activity? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
Amazon GuardDuty
Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that continuously monitors for malicious or unauthorized behavior, including suspicious API activity. It analyzes AWS CloudTrail management and data events, VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs to generate security findings and alerts. GuardDuty uses machine learning and anomaly detection to identify patterns such as unusual API calls, credential compromise, or reconnaissance attempts, making it a correct choice for detecting and alerting on suspicious 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.
- ✓
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
GuardDuty analyzes CloudTrail events and other data sources to detect suspicious API activity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs all API calls and can be used with CloudWatch Alarms for alerting.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector assesses applications for vulnerabilities and deviations from best practices.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config tracks resource changes, not API activity.
- ✗
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata, not API activity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS CloudTrail (which logs API activity) with a service that also detects and alerts on suspicious activity, but CloudTrail itself does not analyze or alert—it only records events; GuardDuty is needed for detection and alerting.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
GuardDuty integrates with AWS CloudTrail to ingest management and data events, enabling it to detect API-level threats like credential exfiltration or unusual IAM role usage. Under the hood, GuardDuty uses a combination of rule-based detection (e.g., known malicious IP addresses from threat intelligence feeds) and machine learning models that establish baseline API call patterns per account. A real-world scenario is detecting a compromised access key that makes API calls from an unexpected geographic location or at an unusual time of day, triggering an alert that can be sent to Amazon EventBridge for automated response.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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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Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon GuardDuty — Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that continuously monitors for malicious or unauthorized behavior, including suspicious API activity. It analyzes AWS CloudTrail management and data events, VPC Flow Logs, and DNS logs to generate security findings and alerts. GuardDuty uses machine learning and anomaly detection to identify patterns such as unusual API calls, credential compromise, or reconnaissance attempts, making it a correct choice for detecting and alerting on suspicious 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.
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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.
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