Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon GuardDuty and Amazon CloudWatch Events, as these two AWS services work together to enable near real-time threat detection and alerting. GuardDuty continuously monitors AWS accounts and workloads for malicious or unauthorized behavior by analyzing VPC Flow Logs, DNS logs, and CloudTrail event data, while CloudWatch Events can be configured to trigger automated responses or notifications the moment GuardDuty generates a finding. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of reactive security monitoring versus logging or compliance tools—a common trap is confusing CloudTrail (which provides audit logs but not real-time alerts) with CloudWatch Events (which enables event-driven alerting). Remember that GuardDuty detects the threat, and CloudWatch Events delivers the alert; think of it as “GuardDuty spots, CloudWatch responds.” A helpful mnemonic is “G-Catch” for GuardDuty-Catch, where CloudWatch Events is the net that catches the alert.
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.
Which TWO AWS services can be used to detect and alert on suspicious activity in near real-time?
Amazon CloudWatch Events
CloudWatch Events can trigger on suspicious patterns.
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector scans for vulnerabilities.
Amazon GuardDuty
GuardDuty detects threats in near real-time.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs but does not alert.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config is for configuration tracking.
Answer choices
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
Options A and D are correct. Amazon GuardDuty provides near real-time threat detection, and Amazon CloudWatch Events can trigger alerts based on patterns. Option B (Config) is for compliance, not threat detection. Option C (CloudTrail) is for logging, not real-time alerting. Option E (Inspector) is for vulnerability scanning.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon CloudWatch Events
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Events can trigger on suspicious patterns.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector scans for vulnerabilities.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
GuardDuty detects threats in near real-time.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs but does not alert.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config is for configuration tracking.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SCS-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Security Logging and Monitoring practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All SCS-C02 questions
1,738 questions across all exam domains
AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
SCS-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Threat Detection and Incident Response.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Security Logging and Monitoring.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Identity and Access Management.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Management and Security Governance.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Infrastructure Security.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Data Protection.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 fundamentals.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 scenario.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: Amazon CloudWatch Events — Options A and D are correct. Amazon GuardDuty provides near real-time threat detection, and Amazon CloudWatch Events can trigger alerts based on patterns. Option B (Config) is for compliance, not threat detection. Option C (CloudTrail) is for logging, not real-time alerting. Option E (Inspector) is for vulnerability scanning.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SCS-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.