Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudTrail, Amazon CloudWatch Logs, and AWS Config. CloudTrail records all API activity across your AWS environment, providing an immutable audit log of who did what and when, while AWS Config tracks resource configuration changes over time to ensure compliance with internal policies. Amazon CloudWatch Logs then serves as the centralized storage and monitoring layer for these logs, enabling long-term retention and alerting on suspicious patterns. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this trio tests your understanding of the core auditing triad—remember that Trusted Advisor offers recommendations, not records, and GuardDuty focuses on threat detection, not compliance logging. A common trap is confusing CloudTrail’s API logging with Config’s configuration tracking; think of CloudTrail as the “who and when” and Config as the “what changed.” Memory tip: “Triple C-A-C” for CloudTrail, Audit logs (CloudWatch), and Config.
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 wants to audit all AWS account activity for compliance. Which THREE AWS services should be used together to achieve this? (Choose three.)
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Stores and monitors log files.
AWS Config
Tracks configuration changes.
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: Provides best practice checks, not audit logs.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: Intelligent threat detection.
AWS CloudTrail
Records API calls.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Options A, B, and E are correct. AWS CloudTrail records API activity, Amazon CloudWatch Logs can store logs, and AWS Config tracks resource configuration changes. Option C is incorrect because AWS Trusted Advisor is for recommendations, not auditing. Option D is incorrect because Amazon GuardDuty is for threat detection.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
Stores and monitors log files.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Config
Why this is correct
Tracks configuration changes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
Provides best practice checks, not audit logs.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
Intelligent threat detection.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
Records API calls.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Identify which SOA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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Security and Compliance practice questions
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FAQ
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon CloudWatch Logs — Options A, B, and E are correct. AWS CloudTrail records API activity, Amazon CloudWatch Logs can store logs, and AWS Config tracks resource configuration changes. Option C is incorrect because AWS Trusted Advisor is for recommendations, not auditing. Option D is incorrect because Amazon GuardDuty is for threat detection.
Identify which SOA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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