Question 884 of 1,748
Threat Detection and Incident ResponsemediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Trigger Lambda from GuardDuty Findings via EventBridge

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 security engineer is implementing automated incident response. The engineer wants to use AWS Lambda to automatically remediate GuardDuty findings. What is the recommended pattern to trigger the Lambda function?

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

Configure an Amazon EventBridge rule to match GuardDuty findings and invoke the Lambda function.

Amazon EventBridge is the recommended pattern because it natively integrates with AWS GuardDuty to receive all finding events in near real-time. By configuring an EventBridge rule that matches GuardDuty finding types (e.g., 'UnauthorizedAccess:EC2/SSHBruteForce'), you can directly invoke a Lambda function for automated remediation without polling or intermediate services. This pattern is serverless, event-driven, and follows AWS best practices for decoupled incident 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.

  • Configure an Amazon EventBridge rule to match GuardDuty findings and invoke the Lambda function.

    Why this is correct

    EventBridge is the recommended way to route GuardDuty findings to Lambda for automated remediation.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Subscribe the Lambda function to an SNS topic that GuardDuty publishes findings to.

    Why it's wrong here

    While possible, EventBridge is the native integration; SNS adds unnecessary complexity.

  • Use CloudWatch Logs subscription filter to trigger Lambda on GuardDuty log entries.

    Why it's wrong here

    GuardDuty does not write findings to CloudWatch Logs directly; it uses EventBridge.

  • Have the Lambda function poll the EC2 instance metadata for threat indicators.

    Why it's wrong here

    EC2 instance metadata does not contain GuardDuty findings.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may assume GuardDuty uses SNS or CloudWatch Logs for output, similar to other AWS services, but GuardDuty exclusively emits findings as EventBridge events, making EventBridge the only native and recommended trigger pattern for Lambda remediation.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, GuardDuty generates findings as structured JSON events that are automatically published to the default EventBridge event bus. EventBridge rules can filter on the 'source' field set to 'aws.guardduty' and the 'detail-type' set to 'GuardDuty Finding', allowing precise triggering of Lambda functions. In a real-world scenario, this enables automated actions like isolating an EC2 instance by modifying security groups or triggering a Step Functions workflow for forensic analysis, all within seconds of the finding being generated.

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

ModelYou ManageProvider ManagesExamples
IaaSOS, runtime, apps, dataHardware, hypervisor, networkingEC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine
PaaSApps and dataOS, runtime, middleware, hardwareElastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service
SaaSData and settings onlyEverything elseMicrosoft 365, Salesforce, Workday
FaaS / ServerlessFunction code onlyInfra, scaling, runtimeLambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run
CaaSContainers and appsKubernetes, OS, hardwareEKS, AKS, GKE

What to study next

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SCS-C02 question test?

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: Configure an Amazon EventBridge rule to match GuardDuty findings and invoke the Lambda function. — Amazon EventBridge is the recommended pattern because it natively integrates with AWS GuardDuty to receive all finding events in near real-time. By configuring an EventBridge rule that matches GuardDuty finding types (e.g., 'UnauthorizedAccess:EC2/SSHBruteForce'), you can directly invoke a Lambda function for automated remediation without polling or intermediate services. This pattern is serverless, event-driven, and follows AWS best practices for decoupled incident 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.

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Same concept, more angles

4 more ways this is tested on SCS-C02

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. A security engineer is setting up automated incident response for a compromised EC2 instance. The engineer wants to isolate the instance immediately upon detection of a GuardDuty finding. Which AWS service can be used to automatically trigger a Lambda function that modifies the instance's security group?

medium
  • A.AWS Step Functions
  • B.Amazon Inspector
  • C.Amazon CloudWatch Events
  • D.AWS Config

Why C: Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can be configured with a rule that matches specific GuardDuty finding events. When a finding is detected, the rule triggers a Lambda function that can modify the EC2 instance's security group to isolate it, for example by removing all inbound rules or replacing the group with a restrictive one. This provides the automated, event-driven response required.

Variation 2. A security engineer is setting up automated incident response for a compromised IAM user. The engineer wants to automatically revoke the user's access keys and attach a deny-all policy when a GuardDuty finding of type 'UnauthorizedAccess:IAMUser/InstanceCredentialExfiltration' is generated. Which services should be used to achieve this automation?

medium
  • A.Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) and AWS Lambda
  • B.AWS Config and AWS Lambda
  • C.Amazon CloudWatch Events and AWS Lambda
  • D.AWS Systems Manager Automation and AWS Lambda

Why C: Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can capture GuardDuty findings in real-time and trigger a Lambda function to revoke IAM user access keys and attach a deny-all policy. This is the native, event-driven pattern for automated incident response to GuardDuty findings, as CloudWatch Events directly supports GuardDuty as an event source.

Variation 3. A security engineer is configuring automated response to a specific GuardDuty finding type. The engineer wants to automatically block the offending IP address in the security group when a finding is generated. Which TWO AWS services should the engineer use together to achieve this? (Choose TWO.)

easy
  • A.AWS Lambda
  • B.AWS Config
  • C.Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS)
  • D.Amazon EventBridge
  • E.Amazon CloudWatch Logs

Why A: AWS Lambda is correct because it can execute custom code to modify security group rules, such as removing an offending IP address. Amazon EventBridge is correct because it can capture GuardDuty findings as events and trigger the Lambda function in response to a specific finding type. Together, they enable automated, event-driven remediation without manual intervention.

Variation 4. A security engineer is configuring an automated response to a GuardDuty finding that indicates a compromised EC2 instance. The engineer wants to isolate the instance by changing its security group to a 'quarantine' group. Which AWS service is BEST suited to automate this response?

easy
  • A.AWS Step Functions
  • B.AWS Config
  • C.Amazon EventBridge
  • D.AWS Systems Manager Automation

Why C: Amazon EventBridge is the best choice because it can directly receive GuardDuty findings as events and trigger an automated response, such as invoking a Lambda function or Systems Manager Automation runbook to change the EC2 instance's security group to a quarantine group. EventBridge provides native integration with GuardDuty via its default event bus, enabling real-time, event-driven automation without additional orchestration overhead.

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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026

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