The answer is to ensure VPC Flow Logs are enabled for the VPC and are being published to Amazon CloudWatch Logs in the same account and Region as Detective. This is correct because Amazon Detective ingests VPC Flow Logs exclusively from CloudWatch Logs to generate network activity data for EC2 instances; without these logs in the proper format and location, Detective cannot display any network traffic, even if the logs are technically enabled elsewhere. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Detective’s data sources—specifically that it relies on CloudWatch Logs as the ingestion point for flow logs, not direct VPC or instance access. A common trap is assuming that enabling GuardDuty findings or granting Detective direct access to the instance will populate network data, but Detective only visualizes what it ingests from CloudWatch Logs. Memory tip: “No CloudWatch, no network watch”—if Detective shows no network activity, always verify that VPC Flow Logs are flowing into CloudWatch Logs in the same account and Region.
SCS-C02 Threat Detection and Incident Response Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of threat detection and incident response. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 uses Amazon Detective to investigate security findings. The security team is analyzing a GuardDuty finding of type 'Backdoor:EC2/C&CActivity.B!DNS' for an EC2 instance. The team wants to use Detective to understand the full scope of the incident, including which other resources the instance communicated with and any IAM roles used. However, when the team opens the finding in Detective, they see no network activity data for the instance. The instance is in a VPC with VPC Flow Logs enabled, and Flow Logs are being published to CloudWatch Logs. What should the team do to enable Detective to display the network activity?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Ensure that VPC Flow Logs are enabled for the VPC and are being published to Amazon CloudWatch Logs in the same account and Region as Detective.
Option A is correct because Detective ingests VPC Flow Logs from CloudWatch Logs to analyze network traffic. The VPC Flow Logs must be in the correct format and delivered to CloudWatch Logs for Detective to consume. Option B is wrong because Detective does not need direct access to the instance. Option C is wrong because the GuardDuty finding is already in Detective; the issue is network data. Option D is wrong because enabling more GuardDuty findings does not add network data.
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.
✗
Re-enable the GuardDuty finding in Amazon Detective.
Why it's wrong here
The finding is already in Detective; the issue is that network data is missing.
✗
Enable GuardDuty EKS Audit Logs monitoring.
Why it's wrong here
EKS Audit Logs are for Kubernetes, not for EC2 network traffic.
✓
Ensure that VPC Flow Logs are enabled for the VPC and are being published to Amazon CloudWatch Logs in the same account and Region as Detective.
Why this is correct
Detective ingests VPC Flow Logs from CloudWatch Logs to provide network activity data.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Install the Amazon Detective agent on the EC2 instance.
Why it's wrong here
Detective does not require an agent; it ingests data from CloudWatch Logs and other sources.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
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: Ensure that VPC Flow Logs are enabled for the VPC and are being published to Amazon CloudWatch Logs in the same account and Region as Detective. — Option A is correct because Detective ingests VPC Flow Logs from CloudWatch Logs to analyze network traffic. The VPC Flow Logs must be in the correct format and delivered to CloudWatch Logs for Detective to consume. Option B is wrong because Detective does not need direct access to the instance. Option C is wrong because the GuardDuty finding is already in Detective; the issue is network data. Option D is wrong because enabling more GuardDuty findings does not add network data.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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