- A
Enable MFA delete on the S3 bucket
Why wrong: MFA delete requires additional authentication but does not guarantee immutability.
- B
Use AWS Config rules to monitor CloudTrail configuration
Why wrong: Config monitors configuration but does not ensure immutability.
- C
Enable S3 Object Lock on the CloudTrail S3 bucket
Object Lock prevents log deletion or modification.
- D
Encrypt the S3 bucket with AWS KMS
Why wrong: Encryption protects data at rest but does not prevent deletion.
- E
Enable AWS CloudTrail for all regions
CloudTrail records API calls.
Question 207 of 1,748
Immutable AWS CloudTrail Logs Using S3 Object Lock
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. 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 wants to ensure that all API calls in their AWS account are logged and immutable. Which TWO actions should be taken? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
Enable S3 Object Lock on the CloudTrail S3 bucket
Option C is correct because enabling S3 Object Lock on the CloudTrail S3 bucket ensures that log files are immutable and cannot be overwritten or deleted by any user, including root. This is achieved through a write-once-read-many (WORM) model, which is essential for maintaining a tamper-proof audit trail of all API calls.
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.
- ✗
Enable MFA delete on the S3 bucket
Why it's wrong here
MFA delete requires additional authentication but does not guarantee immutability.
- ✗
Use AWS Config rules to monitor CloudTrail configuration
Why it's wrong here
Config monitors configuration but does not ensure immutability.
- ✓
Enable S3 Object Lock on the CloudTrail S3 bucket
Why this is correct
Object Lock prevents log deletion or modification.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Encrypt the S3 bucket with AWS KMS
Why it's wrong here
Encryption protects data at rest but does not prevent deletion.
- ✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail for all regions
Why this is correct
CloudTrail records API calls.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse encryption (Option D) with immutability, or they think MFA delete (Option A) provides sufficient protection, but neither prevents overwrites or ensures a WORM state, which is the core requirement for immutable logging.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 Object Lock enforces a retention period (either governance or compliance mode) that prevents any user, including the AWS account root user, from deleting or overwriting objects until the retention period expires. For CloudTrail logs, this is typically combined with a lifecycle policy to transition logs to Glacier after a set period, ensuring long-term immutable storage. In a real-world scenario, if an attacker compromises an IAM user with full S3 access, Object Lock in compliance mode would still block deletion or modification of logs, preserving forensic evidence.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable S3 Object Lock on the CloudTrail S3 bucket — Option C is correct because enabling S3 Object Lock on the CloudTrail S3 bucket ensures that log files are immutable and cannot be overwritten or deleted by any user, including root. This is achieved through a write-once-read-many (WORM) model, which is essential for maintaining a tamper-proof audit trail of all API calls.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on SCS-C02
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 company wants to ensure that all API calls made to their AWS account are logged and immutable. They have enabled AWS CloudTrail and are delivering logs to an S3 bucket. The security team requires that logs cannot be deleted or modified by anyone, including the root user. What should they do?
easy- ✓ A.Enable S3 Object Lock with Compliance retention mode on the bucket.
- B.Enable MFA Delete on the S3 bucket.
- C.Enable S3 Versioning on the bucket.
- D.Add a bucket policy that denies s3:DeleteObject for all principals.
Why A: Option A is correct because S3 Object Lock with retention mode Compliance prevents any user, including root, from deleting or overwriting objects. Option B is wrong because MFA Delete prevents deletion but requires additional authentication and can be disabled by root if they have MFA. Option C is wrong because versioning alone does not prevent deletion of versions; objects can still be deleted, though old versions are retained. Option D is wrong because bucket policies can be changed by root, so a deny policy is not immutable.
Variation 2. A security engineer needs to ensure that all changes to IAM policies in an AWS account are logged and that the logs are immutable and cannot be deleted by any user, including the root user. Which actions should the engineer take? (Choose two.)
easy- A.Enable default encryption with AWS KMS on the bucket.
- ✓ B.Enable AWS CloudTrail to log IAM events.
- C.Enable S3 Versioning on the bucket.
- D.Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) delete on the S3 bucket.
- ✓ E.Enable S3 Object Lock in compliance mode on the bucket.
Why B: Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail is the service specifically designed to log all API activity, including IAM policy changes. By enabling CloudTrail with management event logging, all IAM CreatePolicy, PutPolicy, DeletePolicy, and similar actions are recorded in a log file delivered to an S3 bucket. This provides an authoritative audit trail of who made the change, when, and from which source IP. Option E is correct because S3 Object Lock in compliance mode prevents any user, including the root user, from overwriting or deleting objects for the specified retention period. This ensures the log files are immutable and cannot be tampered with or deleted, fulfilling the requirement that logs cannot be deleted by any user.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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