- A
AWS Config
Why wrong: Tracks configuration changes, not real-time API calls.
- B
Amazon EventBridge
Can trigger on CloudTrail events for real-time notifications.
- C
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Used for vulnerability assessments.
- D
Amazon VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Captures network traffic, not API calls.
Question 1,711 of 1,748
AWS EventBridge for Real-Time API Call Notifications
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 wants to receive real-time notifications when specific API calls are made in their AWS account, such as creating a new IAM user. Which AWS service should be used to trigger a notification based on CloudTrail events?
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
✓
Amazon EventBridge
Amazon EventBridge is the correct service because it can ingest CloudTrail events in near real-time and use event rules to match specific API calls, such as CreateUser, and then route those events to targets like SNS topics to send notifications. EventBridge provides a serverless event bus that directly integrates with CloudTrail, enabling you to react to API activity without custom polling or additional infrastructure.
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.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Tracks configuration changes, not real-time API calls.
- ✓
Amazon EventBridge
Why this is correct
Can trigger on CloudTrail events for real-time notifications.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Used for vulnerability assessments.
- ✗
Amazon VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Captures network traffic, not API calls.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config's configuration change detection with real-time event-driven monitoring, but Config operates on a compliance evaluation cycle and does not provide sub-second notification for specific API calls like EventBridge does.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, EventBridge uses a default event bus that automatically receives all CloudTrail management events, and you can create rules with event patterns that filter on specific fields like 'eventName', 'userIdentity', or 'source' (e.g., 'aws.iam'). A real-world scenario is setting up a rule to match 'CreateUser' and sending the event to an SNS topic that emails the security team, enabling immediate response to unauthorized IAM changes.
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 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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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.
- →
Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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Targeted practice on this topic area only
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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: Amazon EventBridge — Amazon EventBridge is the correct service because it can ingest CloudTrail events in near real-time and use event rules to match specific API calls, such as CreateUser, and then route those events to targets like SNS topics to send notifications. EventBridge provides a serverless event bus that directly integrates with CloudTrail, enabling you to react to API activity without custom polling or additional infrastructure.
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
1 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 receive real-time notifications when specific API calls are made in their AWS account, such as IAM user creation or S3 bucket policy changes. Which AWS service should be used to trigger notifications based on these API events?
easy- ✓ A.Amazon CloudWatch Events (Amazon EventBridge)
- B.Amazon GuardDuty
- C.Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS)
- D.AWS Config
Why A: Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) is the correct service because it can capture AWS API calls in real time via CloudTrail integration. You can create a rule that matches specific API calls (e.g., CreateUser, PutBucketPolicy) and route those events to a target such as an SNS topic or Lambda function for immediate notification. This provides the real-time, event-driven notification required by the scenario.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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