- A
AWS Network Firewall
AWS Network Firewall provides stateful inspection and can alert on suspicious traffic patterns. When used with VPC Traffic Mirroring, it can inspect mirrored traffic and generate alerts. (Correct)
- B
Network Load Balancer
Why wrong: Network Load Balancer is used for distributing traffic, not for capturing or analyzing network traffic for security purposes. It is not necessary for this use case. (Wrong)
- C
Amazon Detective
Amazon Detective analyzes network traffic patterns and can detect suspicious activity using VPC Flow Logs and other data sources, helping identify anomalies. (Correct)
- D
AWS WAF
Why wrong: AWS WAF is a web application firewall at the application layer, not for general VPC network traffic capture and analysis. (Wrong)
- E
VPC Traffic Mirroring
VPC Traffic Mirroring captures packets to and from an EC2 instance, enabling deep packet inspection and analysis by other services. (Correct)
SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. 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 team wants to detect and alert on suspicious network traffic patterns within their VPC. They need to capture traffic to and from an EC2 instance for analysis. Which THREE services should be used together to achieve this? (Choose three.)
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
AWS Network Firewall
VPC Traffic Mirroring captures packets to and from the EC2 instance. Amazon Detective analyzes network traffic patterns from VPC Flow Logs and other data sources to detect suspicious activity. AWS Network Firewall provides stateful inspection and can alert on suspicious traffic patterns. Together, these three services enable capture, analysis, and alerting. Network Load Balancer is not needed; it is a traffic distribution service, not a security or capture service.
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.
- ✓
AWS Network Firewall
Why this is correct
AWS Network Firewall provides stateful inspection and can alert on suspicious traffic patterns. When used with VPC Traffic Mirroring, it can inspect mirrored traffic and generate alerts. (Correct)
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Network Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
Network Load Balancer is used for distributing traffic, not for capturing or analyzing network traffic for security purposes. It is not necessary for this use case. (Wrong)
- ✓
Amazon Detective
Why this is correct
Amazon Detective analyzes network traffic patterns and can detect suspicious activity using VPC Flow Logs and other data sources, helping identify anomalies. (Correct)
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS WAF
Why it's wrong here
AWS WAF is a web application firewall at the application layer, not for general VPC network traffic capture and analysis. (Wrong)
- ✓
VPC Traffic Mirroring
Why this is correct
VPC Traffic Mirroring captures packets to and from an EC2 instance, enabling deep packet inspection and analysis by other services. (Correct)
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 often mistakenly include Network Load Balancer as a necessary component, but it is not a security service and is not required for traffic capture or analysis. The correct combination uses VPC Traffic Mirroring for capture, AWS Network Firewall for inspection/alerting, and Amazon Detective for analysis.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC Traffic Mirroring uses a mirror filter to select specific traffic (e.g., by protocol, source/destination IP, or port) and a mirror session to forward that traffic to a target, such as an NLB or a network interface. The NLB acts as a distribution point, sending mirrored traffic to security appliances or to Amazon Detective via VPC Flow Logs integration. Under the hood, mirroring operates at the hypervisor layer, capturing packets before they reach the instance's OS, ensuring no performance impact on the workload.
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.
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Security Logging and Monitoring — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Network Firewall — VPC Traffic Mirroring captures packets to and from the EC2 instance. Amazon Detective analyzes network traffic patterns from VPC Flow Logs and other data sources to detect suspicious activity. AWS Network Firewall provides stateful inspection and can alert on suspicious traffic patterns. Together, these three services enable capture, analysis, and alerting. Network Load Balancer is not needed; it is a traffic distribution service, not a security or capture service.
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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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