- A
Enable S3 event notifications on the CloudTrail bucket to trigger a Lambda function that parses logs and sends an alert.
Why wrong: S3 notifications are not real-time and can have delays; also, parsing all logs is inefficient.
- B
Use AWS Config rules to detect changes to IAM access keys and trigger an SNS notification.
Why wrong: AWS Config evaluates changes periodically, not in real-time.
- C
Configure CloudTrail to send logs to CloudWatch Logs. Create a metric filter for the IAM event 'CreateAccessKey' and set a CloudWatch alarm that sends an SNS notification.
This provides near-real-time alerting with minimal overhead.
- D
Run a script on an EC2 instance that polls CloudTrail API for new events every minute and sends alerts.
Why wrong: This requires managing an EC2 instance and is less reliable than a serverless solution.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure CloudTrail to send logs to CloudWatch Logs, create a metric filter for the IAM event 'CreateAccessKey', and set a CloudWatch alarm that triggers an SNS notification. This is the most efficient approach because it leverages native AWS services without custom code or polling—CloudTrail captures the API call, CloudWatch Logs ingests the event in near real-time, and the metric filter instantly increments a count that the alarm evaluates to fire an SNS alert within minutes. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of operational monitoring with CloudWatch Logs metric filters, a key alternative to third-party tools or Lambda-based solutions. A common trap is choosing EventBridge, which can also detect this event but requires more setup for real-time alerting compared to the streamlined CloudWatch Logs filter path. Memory tip: think "CT to CW Logs, filter the key, alarm the SNS"—CloudTrail feeds CloudWatch, filter catches CreateAccessKey, alarm notifies.
SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 company has enabled AWS CloudTrail in all regions and is logging to an S3 bucket. The security team needs to be alerted within minutes if any IAM user creates a new access key. What is the MOST efficient way to achieve this?
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 CloudTrail to send logs to CloudWatch Logs. Create a metric filter for the IAM event 'CreateAccessKey' and set a CloudWatch alarm that sends an SNS notification.
Option C is correct because CloudTrail can be configured to deliver events to CloudWatch Logs, where a metric filter can be created to match the 'CreateAccessKey' event. A CloudWatch alarm based on that metric filter can then trigger an SNS notification within minutes, providing the most efficient and native AWS solution for real-time alerting without custom code or polling.
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.
- ✗
Enable S3 event notifications on the CloudTrail bucket to trigger a Lambda function that parses logs and sends an alert.
Why it's wrong here
S3 notifications are not real-time and can have delays; also, parsing all logs is inefficient.
- ✗
Use AWS Config rules to detect changes to IAM access keys and trigger an SNS notification.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config evaluates changes periodically, not in real-time.
- ✓
Configure CloudTrail to send logs to CloudWatch Logs. Create a metric filter for the IAM event 'CreateAccessKey' and set a CloudWatch alarm that sends an SNS notification.
Why this is correct
This provides near-real-time alerting with minimal overhead.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Run a script on an EC2 instance that polls CloudTrail API for new events every minute and sends alerts.
Why it's wrong here
This requires managing an EC2 instance and is less reliable than a serverless solution.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose S3 event notifications (Option A) because they think it's the simplest, but they overlook the built-in CloudWatch Logs integration which provides faster, more reliable, and fully managed alerting without custom code.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail delivers log events to CloudWatch Logs via a delivery stream, and metric filters are applied to incoming log events in near real-time (typically within 5 minutes). The metric filter pattern '$.eventName = CreateAccessKey' matches the exact JSON path in the CloudTrail log entry, and the alarm transitions to ALARM state when the metric count exceeds a threshold (e.g., >= 1), triggering an SNS notification. This approach avoids the overhead of parsing S3 objects or polling APIs, and it scales automatically with AWS infrastructure.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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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Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — This question tests Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure CloudTrail to send logs to CloudWatch Logs. Create a metric filter for the IAM event 'CreateAccessKey' and set a CloudWatch alarm that sends an SNS notification. — Option C is correct because CloudTrail can be configured to deliver events to CloudWatch Logs, where a metric filter can be created to match the 'CreateAccessKey' event. A CloudWatch alarm based on that metric filter can then trigger an SNS notification within minutes, providing the most efficient and native AWS solution for real-time alerting without custom code or polling.
What should I do if I get this SOA-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: Jun 24, 2026
This SOA-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 SOA-C02 exam.
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