SCS-C02 Threat Detection and Incident Response Practice Question
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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
2019-10-15T10:30:00Z 192.0.2.1 54321 10.0.0.1 443 6 10 1000 10 1000 ACCEPT OK
2019-10-15T10:30:05Z 192.0.2.1 54322 10.0.0.2 22 6 20 2000 10 1000 ACCEPT OK
2019-10-15T10:30:10Z 10.0.0.3 22 192.0.2.1 54323 6 15 1500 5 500 REJECT OK
Refer to the exhibit. A security engineer is analyzing VPC Flow Logs and notices a pattern of outbound traffic from an EC2 instance to an external IP on port 22 (SSH). The engineer wants to identify which instances are initiating SSH connections to the internet. Which field in the flow log record indicates the source of the connection?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The first IP address in the log entry (srcaddr)
In VPC Flow Logs, the `srcaddr` field records the source IP address of the traffic. Since the engineer is looking for which EC2 instances are initiating outbound SSH connections (port 22), the source IP in the flow log entry (srcaddr) directly identifies the instance that started the connection. The direction of the traffic is determined by the source and destination fields, not by the port numbers alone.
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.
✓
The first IP address in the log entry (srcaddr)
Why this is correct
The first IP is the source address; for outbound traffic, it is the internal IP of the instance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The second IP address (dstaddr)
Why it's wrong here
dstaddr is the destination IP, not the source.
✗
The first port number (srcport)
Why it's wrong here
srcport is the source port, but the question asks for the instance, not the port.
✗
The second port number (dstport)
Why it's wrong here
dstport is the destination port, not the source.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the source port (srcport) with the source address (srcaddr), mistakenly thinking the port number identifies the initiating instance, when in fact the source IP address is the correct field to determine which EC2 instance started the connection.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic metadata using the AWS-defined format with fields like `version`, `account-id`, `interface-id`, `srcaddr`, `dstaddr`, `srcport`, `dstport`, and `protocol`. The `srcaddr` field contains the private IPv4 or IPv6 address of the instance (or the public IP if traffic goes through an internet gateway with NAT). In outbound SSH connections, the source port is typically a high-numbered ephemeral port (e.g., 49152–65535), while the destination port is 22, so relying on port numbers alone would not identify the initiating instance.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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.
Threat Detection and Incident Response — This question tests Threat Detection and Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The first IP address in the log entry (srcaddr) — In VPC Flow Logs, the `srcaddr` field records the source IP address of the traffic. Since the engineer is looking for which EC2 instances are initiating outbound SSH connections (port 22), the source IP in the flow log entry (srcaddr) directly identifies the instance that started the connection. The direction of the traffic is determined by the source and destination fields, not by the port numbers alone.
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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Question Discussion
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