Quick Answer
The correct answer is AWS CloudTrail and Amazon EventBridge. CloudTrail provides the essential audit log of all API activity in your AWS account, capturing every call including those that are unauthorized or denied by IAM policies, while EventBridge enables real-time event-driven automation by matching specific CloudTrail log entries—such as `AccessDenied` errors—to trigger immediate responses like invoking a Lambda function or sending a notification. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of detective and responsive controls within the incident response domain; a common trap is confusing EventBridge with CloudWatch Logs or selecting GuardDuty, which detects threats but does not log raw API calls. Remember the mnemonic: “CloudTrail catches the crime, EventBridge calls the cavalry.”
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 security engineer needs to automatically detect and respond to unauthorized API calls in an AWS account. Which two services should be used together?
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon EventBridge
CloudTrail logs API calls, EventBridge triggers automated responses.
Amazon GuardDuty and Amazon SNS
Why wrong: GuardDuty detects threats but does not log all API calls.
AWS Config and AWS Lambda
Why wrong: Config evaluates resource configurations, not API calls.
Amazon Inspector and Amazon S3
Why wrong: Inspector is for vulnerability assessments, not API monitoring.
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 CloudTrail and Amazon EventBridge
CloudTrail logs API calls, and CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) can trigger automated responses. Option C is correct. Option A (Config + Lambda) is for configuration compliance. Option B (GuardDuty + SNS) is for threat detection alerting. Option D (Inspector + S3) is for vulnerability assessment.
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 CloudTrail and Amazon EventBridge
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs API calls, EventBridge triggers automated responses.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon GuardDuty and Amazon SNS
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty detects threats but does not log all API calls.
AWS Config and AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Config evaluates resource configurations, not API calls.
Amazon Inspector and Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
Inspector is for vulnerability assessments, not API monitoring.
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
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Management and Security Governance practice questions
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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 CloudTrail and Amazon EventBridge — CloudTrail logs API calls, and CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) can trigger automated responses. Option C is correct. Option A (Config + Lambda) is for configuration compliance. Option B (GuardDuty + SNS) is for threat detection alerting. Option D (Inspector + S3) is for vulnerability assessment.
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
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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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