- A
Configure CloudTrail to send logs to CloudWatch Logs and create a metric filter with an alarm.
Why wrong: This is also valid but less efficient than CloudWatch Events.
- B
Enable VPC Flow Logs and analyze with Elasticsearch.
Why wrong: VPC Flow Logs are for network traffic, not API calls.
- C
Use Amazon Athena to query CloudTrail logs daily for the action.
Why wrong: Athena is not real-time.
- D
Enable Amazon GuardDuty with a custom threat list.
Why wrong: GuardDuty does not monitor for specific API calls by a user.
- E
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the API call and sends an SNS notification.
CloudWatch Events can filter CloudTrail events in real-time.
Question 1,552 of 1,748
SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
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 security engineer needs to monitor AWS API calls for potential unauthorized access. The engineer wants to be alerted when a specific IAM user performs a high-risk action like deleting a CloudTrail trail. What is the MOST efficient way to achieve this?
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
✓
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the API call and sends an SNS notification.
Option E is correct because CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can directly capture AWS API calls from CloudTrail in near real-time. By creating a rule that matches the specific API call (e.g., `DeleteTrail`) from a specific IAM user, you can trigger an SNS notification instantly without the latency or cost of log shipping, metric filters, or periodic queries. This is the most efficient method for real-time alerting on specific API actions.
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.
- ✗
Configure CloudTrail to send logs to CloudWatch Logs and create a metric filter with an alarm.
Why it's wrong here
This is also valid but less efficient than CloudWatch Events.
- ✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs and analyze with Elasticsearch.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Flow Logs are for network traffic, not API calls.
- ✗
Use Amazon Athena to query CloudTrail logs daily for the action.
Why it's wrong here
Athena is not real-time.
- ✗
Enable Amazon GuardDuty with a custom threat list.
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty does not monitor for specific API calls by a user.
- ✓
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the API call and sends an SNS notification.
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Events can filter CloudTrail events in real-time.
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 default to CloudTrail + CloudWatch Logs + metric filters (Option A) because it's a common pattern, but they overlook that CloudWatch Events provides a simpler, lower-latency, and more cost-effective solution for real-time alerting on specific API calls without the overhead of log ingestion and metric evaluation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, CloudWatch Events (EventBridge) uses a default event bus that ingests CloudTrail API call events as soon as they occur, with a typical latency of under 5 minutes. The rule evaluates event patterns against the JSON payload, including `userIdentity.arn` and `eventName`, and can directly invoke SNS, Lambda, or other targets. A subtle behavior is that CloudTrail must be enabled for management events (read/write) for the events to appear in the default event bus; if only data events are logged, API calls like `DeleteTrail` won't trigger the rule.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
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: Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the API call and sends an SNS notification. — Option E is correct because CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can directly capture AWS API calls from CloudTrail in near real-time. By creating a rule that matches the specific API call (e.g., `DeleteTrail`) from a specific IAM user, you can trigger an SNS notification instantly without the latency or cost of log shipping, metric filters, or periodic queries. This is the most efficient method for real-time alerting on specific API actions.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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