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SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
Drag and drop the steps to respond to a suspected AWS IAM credential compromise in the correct order.
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
✓
Rotate IAM user access keys, then review CloudTrail logs, then disable the IAM user, then revoke temporary credentials, then notify stakeholders.
Credential compromise response starts with rotation, log review, disabling user, revoking temp creds, and notification.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Rotate IAM user access keys, then review CloudTrail logs, then disable the IAM user, then revoke temporary credentials, then notify stakeholders.
Why this is correct
This is the correct order because immediate rotation prevents further use of compromised credentials, log review provides scope, disabling the user ensures no new access, revoking temp credentials covers all access types, and notification ensures awareness.
- ✗
Review CloudTrail logs, then rotate IAM user access keys, then disable the IAM user, then revoke temporary credentials, then notify stakeholders.
Why it's wrong here
Reviewing CloudTrail logs before rotating the access key leaves the compromised long-term credential active, allowing an attacker to keep issuing actions while you are analyzing past events. Immediate rotation deletes or invalidates the exposed access key and is the first containment step; the log review then provides scope on the historical activity without risking continued misuse or newly generated events.
- ✗
Disable the IAM user, then rotate IAM user access keys, then review CloudTrail logs, then revoke temporary credentials, then notify stakeholders.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling the IAM user first stops sign-in and deactivates the user's access keys, but it does not invalidate already-issued temporary security credentials from AWS STS, which remain usable until expiration and can persist as a backdoor. Rotating the user's access keys should happen before disabling the user; after disabling, you also lose the ability to perform API actions as that user during investigation, which complicates further cleanup.
- ✗
Notify stakeholders, then rotate IAM user access keys, then review CloudTrail logs, then disable the IAM user, then revoke temporary credentials.
Why it's wrong here
Notifying stakeholders before any containment allows the attacker to continue operating while internal panic spreads, and the notification will lack verified scope, making it inaccurate and potentially harmful. Containment and log analysis should establish what was exposed and what steps were taken; only then can a clear, evidence-based notification be sent to stakeholders.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.