This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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.
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. A security engineer runs the command above and sees that the flow log status is ACTIVE. However, the engineer notices that no logs are appearing in the CloudWatch log group. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Network Topology
A
The TrafficType is set to ALL, which captures too much data and causes throttling.
Why wrong: ALL is valid and should generate logs; throttling would be unlikely.
B
The IAM role specified in DeliverLogsPermissionArn does not have permissions to PutLogEvents.
Without proper permissions, logs cannot be delivered.
C
The flow log is attached to an ENI instead of a subnet.
Why wrong: Flow logs can be attached to ENIs, subnets, or VPCs; all work.
D
The flow log destination is set to CloudWatch Logs but the log group is encrypted with KMS.
Why wrong: Encryption does not prevent log delivery.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The IAM role specified in DeliverLogsPermissionArn does not have permissions to PutLogEvents.
The most likely cause is that the IAM role specified in the DeliverLogsPermissionArn does not have the necessary permissions to call PutLogEvents on the CloudWatch Logs log group. Even if the flow log status is ACTIVE, the delivery of log records will silently fail if the role lacks the required logs:PutLogEvents, logs:CreateLogStream, and logs:DescribeLogStreams actions. The ACTIVE status only indicates that the flow log configuration is valid and the service is attempting to deliver logs, not that delivery is succeeding.
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 TrafficType is set to ALL, which captures too much data and causes throttling.
Why it's wrong here
ALL is valid and should generate logs; throttling would be unlikely.
✓
The IAM role specified in DeliverLogsPermissionArn does not have permissions to PutLogEvents.
Why this is correct
Without proper permissions, logs cannot be delivered.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The flow log is attached to an ENI instead of a subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Flow logs can be attached to ENIs, subnets, or VPCs; all work.
✗
The flow log destination is set to CloudWatch Logs but the log group is encrypted with KMS.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption does not prevent log delivery.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume an ACTIVE status guarantees logs are being delivered, but AWS explicitly documents that ACTIVE only means the configuration is valid, not that delivery is succeeding; the real test is whether the IAM role has the correct permissions to write to CloudWatch Logs.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, VPC Flow Logs use a delivery service that assumes the IAM role specified in DeliverLogsPermissionArn to push log records to CloudWatch Logs. The service performs a dry-run check when the flow log is created to verify the role has the necessary permissions, but this check only validates that the role exists and can be assumed, not that it has the specific CloudWatch Logs actions. In real-world scenarios, if the role is missing logs:PutLogEvents, the flow log will remain ACTIVE but no logs will ever appear, leading to silent data loss. The correct IAM policy must include at minimum logs:PutLogEvents, logs:CreateLogStream, and logs:DescribeLogStreams on the target log group ARN.
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.
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.
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The IAM role specified in DeliverLogsPermissionArn does not have permissions to PutLogEvents. — The most likely cause is that the IAM role specified in the DeliverLogsPermissionArn does not have the necessary permissions to call PutLogEvents on the CloudWatch Logs log group. Even if the flow log status is ACTIVE, the delivery of log records will silently fail if the role lacks the required logs:PutLogEvents, logs:CreateLogStream, and logs:DescribeLogStreams actions. The ACTIVE status only indicates that the flow log configuration is valid and the service is attempting to deliver logs, not that delivery is succeeding.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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