Quick Answer
The correct answer is Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Security Hub, as these two services work together to provide near real-time threat detection and centralized visibility. GuardDuty continuously monitors AWS accounts and workloads using machine learning and integrated threat intelligence to identify malicious activity, while Security Hub aggregates and normalizes those findings alongside alerts from other services like Amazon Inspector and AWS IAM Access Analyzer. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of how detection and aggregation services complement each other—a common trap is choosing GuardDuty with a service like AWS Config, which tracks configuration changes but does not perform active threat detection. Remember that GuardDuty is the threat detector, and Security Hub is the single-pane-of-glass aggregator that can trigger automated responses via Amazon EventBridge. Memory tip: think “Detect with GuardDuty, centralize with Security Hub” to keep the roles straight.
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 wants to detect and respond to potential security threats in near real-time. Which TWO services should the company use together to achieve this? (Choose TWO.)
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config is for configuration compliance, not real-time threat detection.
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector is for vulnerability scanning, not real-time threat detection.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls but does not detect threats.
AWS Security Hub
Security Hub aggregates findings and can automate responses.
Amazon GuardDuty
GuardDuty provides continuous threat detection.
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 Security Hub
AWS Security Hub (D) aggregates security findings from multiple AWS services, including Amazon GuardDuty, and provides a comprehensive view of security alerts and compliance status. Amazon GuardDuty (E) is a threat detection service that continuously monitors for malicious activity and unauthorized behavior using machine learning and integrated threat intelligence. Together, they enable near real-time detection and response by centralizing findings from GuardDuty in Security Hub, which can trigger automated remediation workflows via Amazon EventBridge.
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.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config is for configuration compliance, not real-time threat detection.
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector is for vulnerability scanning, not real-time threat detection.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls but does not detect threats.
AWS Security Hub
Why this is correct
Security Hub aggregates findings and can automate responses.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why this is correct
GuardDuty provides continuous threat detection.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config or CloudTrail as threat detection services, but they are primarily configuration auditing and API logging tools, respectively, and lack the real-time threat analysis capabilities of GuardDuty and Security Hub.
Detailed technical explanation
GuardDuty uses VPC Flow Logs, DNS query logs, and AWS CloudTrail management event logs as data sources, applying anomaly detection and threat intelligence feeds (e.g., known malicious IP addresses) to generate findings. Security Hub consumes these findings via the AWS Security Finding Format (ASFF) and applies automated response rules using EventBridge, enabling near real-time incident response. In a real-world scenario, a GuardDuty finding for an EC2 instance communicating with a known command-and-control server would appear in Security Hub within minutes, triggering a Lambda function to isolate the instance.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. 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
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Threat Detection and Incident Response — study guide chapter
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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 Security Hub — AWS Security Hub (D) aggregates security findings from multiple AWS services, including Amazon GuardDuty, and provides a comprehensive view of security alerts and compliance status. Amazon GuardDuty (E) is a threat detection service that continuously monitors for malicious activity and unauthorized behavior using machine learning and integrated threat intelligence. Together, they enable near real-time detection and response by centralizing findings from GuardDuty in Security Hub, which can trigger automated remediation workflows via Amazon EventBridge.
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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