The answer is to query AWS CloudTrail logs in Amazon Athena for the user's API calls. This is the most efficient method because every CloudTrail event record inherently captures the sourceIPAddress and userAgent fields, allowing you to filter directly by the IAM user 'svc-backup' and retrieve the exact origin of each action. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between services that store historical API metadata versus those focused on network flow or threat detection. A common trap is choosing VPC Flow Logs, which lack IAM user context, or GuardDuty, which provides alerts but not raw historical logs. Remember that CloudTrail is the definitive audit trail for who, what, and from where—Athena gives you the SQL-powered scalpel to slice through millions of events. Memory tip: "CloudTrail tells the tale of the IP and agent in the trail."
SCS-C02 Threat Detection and Incident Response Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of threat detection and incident response. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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 is investigating a potential data breach. AWS CloudTrail logs show that an IAM user 'svc-backup' created an S3 bucket in the us-east-1 region and then uploaded a large number of objects. The engineer suspects that the user's credentials were compromised. What is the MOST efficient way to quickly identify the source IP address and user agent of the API calls made by this user?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Query AWS CloudTrail logs in Amazon Athena for the user's API calls.
Option B is correct because CloudTrail logs contain the sourceIPAddress and userAgent fields for each API call, which can be queried using CloudTrail Insights or Athena to identify the source. Option A is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic but do not include IAM user information. Option C is wrong because GuardDuty detects threats but does not store historical API call details. Option D is wrong because Config records resource configuration changes but not API call source details.
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.
✓
Query AWS CloudTrail logs in Amazon Athena for the user's API calls.
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs include sourceIPAddress and userAgent for API calls, and Athena enables efficient querying of large log datasets.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Analyze VPC Flow Logs for traffic to the S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs capture network metadata but do not include IAM user names or API call details.
✗
Enable Amazon GuardDuty and review the generated findings.
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty provides threat detection but does not store detailed API call logs for historical analysis.
✗
Use AWS Config to review the configuration history of the S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Config tracks changes to resource configurations, not the source of API calls.
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 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
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: Query AWS CloudTrail logs in Amazon Athena for the user's API calls. — Option B is correct because CloudTrail logs contain the sourceIPAddress and userAgent fields for each API call, which can be queried using CloudTrail Insights or Athena to identify the source. Option A is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic but do not include IAM user information. Option C is wrong because GuardDuty detects threats but does not store historical API call details. Option D is wrong because Config records resource configuration changes but not API call source details.
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.
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 →
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 engineer is investigating a potential data breach. The engineer needs to identify which IAM user accessed a specific S3 object and when. Which AWS service should the engineer use?
easy
A.AWS Config
B.Amazon S3 server access logs
✓ C.AWS CloudTrail
D.Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why C: AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records API activity for all AWS services, including S3 object-level operations such as GetObject, PutObject, and DeleteObject. By enabling data events on the specific S3 bucket, CloudTrail logs the IAM user, source IP, timestamp, and the exact object key accessed, providing the precise identity and time needed for breach investigation.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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.
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