Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon GuardDuty, which is the correct choice because it uses machine learning and integrated threat intelligence to continuously monitor AWS accounts for malicious or unauthorized behavior, including suspicious S3 access attempts, and can trigger real-time alerts via Amazon EventBridge. GuardDuty analyzes VPC Flow Logs, DNS logs, and CloudTrail management and data events to detect patterns like anomalous API calls or access from known malicious IPs, making it purpose-built for real-time threat detection rather than just logging. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to differentiate between services that detect versus those that log or classify—a common trap is confusing CloudTrail’s detailed logging with GuardDuty’s active detection. Remember the memory tip: GuardDuty is your “guard” for active threats, while CloudTrail is just the “trail” of what happened.
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 experiencing unauthorized access attempts to an S3 bucket. Which AWS service can be used to detect and alert on such events in real time?
Amazon Macie
Why wrong: Macie focuses on data classification, not threat detection.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config is for resource configuration tracking.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs but does not alert on threats in real time.
Amazon GuardDuty
GuardDuty provides real-time threat detection for S3 access.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon GuardDuty
Option B is correct because Amazon GuardDuty uses threat intelligence to detect suspicious activity, including unauthorized S3 access attempts. Option A is wrong because AWS CloudTrail is for logging, not real-time detection. Option C is wrong because Amazon Macie is for data classification. Option D is wrong because AWS Config is for compliance.
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.
Amazon Macie
Why it's wrong here
Macie focuses on data classification, not threat detection.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config is for resource configuration tracking.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs but does not alert on threats in real time.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
GuardDuty provides real-time threat detection for S3 access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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.
Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon GuardDuty — Option B is correct because Amazon GuardDuty uses threat intelligence to detect suspicious activity, including unauthorized S3 access attempts. Option A is wrong because AWS CloudTrail is for logging, not real-time detection. Option C is wrong because Amazon Macie is for data classification. Option D is wrong because AWS Config is for compliance.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A security team needs to detect unauthorized attempts to access an S3 bucket that contains sensitive data. Which AWS service can automatically analyze S3 access logs and generate findings for suspicious activity?
easyWhy B: Option B is correct because Amazon GuardDuty can analyze S3 data events (via CloudTrail) and generate findings for suspicious access patterns. Option A is wrong because Amazon Macie is for discovering sensitive data, not analyzing access logs. Option C is wrong because AWS Trusted Advisor provides cost and performance recommendations. Option D is wrong because Amazon Detective investigates security incidents but does not automatically analyze S3 access logs for suspicious activity.
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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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