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 CLI command and receives the output shown. The engineer expects to see flow logs for a specific subnet, but the output shows the resource ID as a VPC. What is the most likely reason?
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 flow log is not active; it shows ACTIVE, so that's not the issue.
Why wrong: The status is ACTIVE, so it is active.
B
The flow log is configured to deliver to CloudWatch, but the log group name is incorrect.
Why wrong: The log group name matches the filter.
C
The IAM role does not have permissions to deliver logs for subnets.
Why wrong: The role is used for VPC flow logs; subnet flow logs require the same role.
D
The flow log was created at the VPC level, not at the subnet level.
The resource ID in the output is the VPC ID, indicating the flow log is for the VPC.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The flow log was created at the VPC level, not at the subnet level.
The output shows the resource ID as a VPC (vpc-xxxx), but the security engineer expected to see flow logs for a specific subnet. This indicates that the flow log was created at the VPC level, not at the subnet level. In AWS, VPC Flow Logs can be created at the VPC, subnet, or network interface level, and the resource ID in the flow log output reflects the level at which the log was configured. Since the engineer expected subnet-level logs, the most likely reason is that the flow log was created for the entire VPC instead of the specific subnet.
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 flow log is not active; it shows ACTIVE, so that's not the issue.
Why it's wrong here
The status is ACTIVE, so it is active.
✗
The flow log is configured to deliver to CloudWatch, but the log group name is incorrect.
Why it's wrong here
The log group name matches the filter.
✗
The IAM role does not have permissions to deliver logs for subnets.
Why it's wrong here
The role is used for VPC flow logs; subnet flow logs require the same role.
✓
The flow log was created at the VPC level, not at the subnet level.
Why this is correct
The resource ID in the output is the VPC ID, indicating the flow log is for the VPC.
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume the flow log is misconfigured due to permissions or delivery settings, when the real issue is the scope at which the flow log was created—a common confusion between VPC-level and subnet-level flow logs.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic information for network interfaces within a VPC. When created at the VPC level, the flow log captures traffic for all network interfaces in the VPC, and the resource ID in the log output is the VPC ID. If created at the subnet level, the resource ID would be the subnet ID. This distinction is important for granular monitoring and cost management, as VPC-level logs can generate significantly more data than subnet-level logs. The flow log configuration is immutable after creation; to change the scope, you must delete and recreate the flow log at the desired level.
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.
Visual reference
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 flow log was created at the VPC level, not at the subnet level. — The output shows the resource ID as a VPC (vpc-xxxx), but the security engineer expected to see flow logs for a specific subnet. This indicates that the flow log was created at the VPC level, not at the subnet level. In AWS, VPC Flow Logs can be created at the VPC, subnet, or network interface level, and the resource ID in the flow log output reflects the level at which the log was configured. Since the engineer expected subnet-level logs, the most likely reason is that the flow log was created for the entire VPC instead of the specific subnet.
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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