- A
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector is for vulnerability assessment, not real-time API monitoring.
- B
AWS CloudTrail and AWS Config
Why wrong: These are logging and compliance services, not real-time remediation.
- C
Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Config
Why wrong: GuardDuty provides findings but not automatic remediation.
- D
Amazon CloudWatch Events and AWS Lambda
CloudWatch Events can match API calls and trigger Lambda to revoke IAM roles.
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 company wants to monitor AWS API calls for suspicious activity and automatically remediate by revoking IAM roles in real time. Which combination of services should be used?
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 CloudWatch Events and AWS Lambda
Option D is correct because the combination of Amazon CloudWatch Events and AWS Lambda enables real-time monitoring and automated remediation of AWS API calls. CloudWatch Events can capture API calls from AWS CloudTrail (or other sources) and trigger a Lambda function to revoke IAM roles based on suspicious activity patterns, providing the required real-time response.
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 CloudTrail and Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector is for vulnerability assessment, not real-time API monitoring.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail and AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
These are logging and compliance services, not real-time remediation.
- ✗
Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty provides findings but not automatic remediation.
- ✓
Amazon CloudWatch Events and AWS Lambda
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Events can match API calls and trigger Lambda to revoke IAM roles.
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 may confuse AWS Config's compliance evaluation with real-time event-driven remediation, or assume GuardDuty alone provides automated remediation, when in fact both require CloudWatch Events and Lambda for the actual automated response.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) uses event patterns to match specific API calls from CloudTrail, such as IAM role assumption or policy modification, and can invoke a Lambda function within seconds. The Lambda function can then use the AWS SDK to call IAM's UpdateAssumeRolePolicy or DeleteRole to revoke the role in real time. This architecture is commonly used in security automation playbooks, such as automatically revoking roles when GuardDuty detects a compromised credential.
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.
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Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
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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 CloudWatch Events and AWS Lambda — Option D is correct because the combination of Amazon CloudWatch Events and AWS Lambda enables real-time monitoring and automated remediation of AWS API calls. CloudWatch Events can capture API calls from AWS CloudTrail (or other sources) and trigger a Lambda function to revoke IAM roles based on suspicious activity patterns, providing the required real-time response.
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 →
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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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