Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudTrail, because it is the service specifically designed to record all API activity in your AWS account, including the StartDBInstance and StopDBInstance calls made to the RDS service. By monitoring CloudTrail logs, the security team can detect when a database instance is started or stopped outside of maintenance windows, as each API call is logged with a precise timestamp, source IP, and the IAM user or role that initiated the action. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to differentiate between monitoring services: a common trap is choosing Amazon CloudWatch, which tracks performance metrics and can trigger alarms on state changes, but it does not natively audit the API calls themselves. Remember, CloudTrail is for who did what and when, while CloudWatch is for how the resource is performing. A helpful memory tip: think of CloudTrail as the “trail of breadcrumbs” left by every API call, making it the go-to service for detecting unauthorized or out-of-policy start/stop actions.
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of threat detection and incident response. 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 uses Amazon RDS for its database. The security team needs to detect when a database instance is started or stopped outside of maintenance windows. Which AWS service should the team use to monitor these API calls?
Amazon CloudWatch
Why wrong: CloudWatch monitors metrics, not API calls.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty does not specifically monitor RDS start/stop events.
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail logs all RDS API calls, enabling monitoring and alerting.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config records configuration changes, but starting/stopping an instance is not a configuration change.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS CloudTrail
AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records API activity in your AWS account, including StartDBInstance and StopDBInstance calls from the RDS service. By monitoring CloudTrail logs, the security team can detect when a database instance is started or stopped outside of maintenance windows, as each API call is logged with a timestamp and user identity. CloudTrail is specifically designed for auditing API calls, making it the appropriate tool for this use case.
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 CloudWatch
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch monitors metrics, not API calls.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty does not specifically monitor RDS start/stop events.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs all RDS API calls, enabling monitoring and alerting.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config records configuration changes, but starting/stopping an instance is not a configuration change.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse CloudWatch's ability to create alarms on CloudTrail events with CloudWatch itself being the service that records API calls, but CloudWatch only processes logs delivered by CloudTrail and cannot natively capture API activity without CloudTrail as the source.
Detailed technical explanation
CloudTrail records management events (e.g., StartDBInstance, StopDBInstance) as JSON log entries in a specified S3 bucket or CloudWatch Logs, with fields like eventSource (rds.amazonaws.com) and eventName. To detect out-of-maintenance-window activity, you would create a CloudWatch metric filter on the CloudTrail log group for these API calls and set an alarm based on a time-based condition (e.g., outside 2-4 AM). A real-world scenario is a security team needing to audit unauthorized manual starts/stops during business hours, which CloudTrail captures with the exact user ARN and source IP address.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Threat Detection and Incident Response — This question tests Threat Detection and Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail — AWS CloudTrail is the correct service because it records API activity in your AWS account, including StartDBInstance and StopDBInstance calls from the RDS service. By monitoring CloudTrail logs, the security team can detect when a database instance is started or stopped outside of maintenance windows, as each API call is logged with a timestamp and user identity. CloudTrail is specifically designed for auditing API calls, making it the appropriate tool for this use case.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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