SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"trail": "management-events-trail",
"eventVersion": "1.08",
"eventTime": "2023-06-01T10:00:00Z",
"eventSource": "ec2.amazonaws.com",
"eventName": "AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress",
"userIdentity": {
"type": "IAMUser",
"arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/svc-account-admin"
},
"requestParameters": {
"groupId": "sg-12345",
"ipPermissions": {
"items": [
{
"ipProtocol": "tcp",
"fromPort": 22,
"toPort": 22,
"ipRanges": {
"items": [
{"cidrIp": "0.0.0.0/0"}
]
}
}
]
}
},
"responseElements": {
"requestId": "r-abc123"
}
}Refer to the exhibit. A security engineer is reviewing a CloudTrail event. What security concern does this event raise?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may focus on the fact that the event is logged (Option B) or the user identity (Option C), but the core security concern is the overly permissive inbound rule that grants unrestricted SSH access.
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
✓
The user is opening SSH access to the world.
The CloudTrail event shows an AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress API call with a CidrIp of 0.0.0.0/0 for port 22 (SSH). This opens SSH access to the entire internet, which is a severe security risk because it exposes the instance to brute-force attacks, unauthorized access, and potential compromise. The correct answer is D because this action directly violates the principle of least privilege and is a common misconfiguration.
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 user is revoking a security group rule.
Why it's wrong here
The CloudTrail event in question denotes an AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress API call, which adds a new inbound permission to the security group. Revoking a rule would instead appear as a RevokeSecurityGroupIngress event, which has a distinct event name and different parameters. Since the event name indicates authorization, not revocation, this interpretation is incorrect.
- ✗
The event is not being logged by CloudTrail.
Why it's wrong here
The security engineer is reviewing the event in CloudTrail, and the API call itself is a management event that CloudTrail captures by default. Specifically, AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress is an EC2 management event that is logged with details like the IAM user ARN, source IP, and request parameters. Therefore, the event is indeed logged; saying it isn't logged would contradict the very evidence under review.
- ✗
The user is using the AWS root account.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows the session user is an IAM user, not the root account. In CloudTrail, root account calls are typically listed as 'Root' in the userIdentity type, and they often originate from the account's email address or root credentials. Since the on-screen identity corresponds to an IAM principal, the root-account claim is incorrect.
- ✓
The user is opening SSH access to the world.
Why this is correct
The AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress call is adding a rule allowing TCP port 22 (SSH) from CIDR 0.0.0.0/0. A CIDR of 0.0.0.0/0 represents all possible IPv4 addresses, meaning any host on the internet can attempt to connect to port 22 on the associated instances. This effectively exposes SSH to the world, which is a critical security risk because it invites brute-force attacks and unauthorized access attempts.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.