← SOA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 527 of 1,546

Security and Compliance →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to check the IAM permissions of the user 'Admin' at the time of the event. This is correct because when investigating an unauthorized EC2 stop using CloudTrail, the log entry will record the IAM user and source IP, but it does not inherently indicate whether the action was authorized—it only confirms the action occurred. The critical step is to examine the IAM policy attached to that user at the exact moment of the event to verify if they possessed the ec2:StopInstances permission; if they did, the stop was authorized, regardless of whether it was unexpected. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that CloudTrail logs show what happened, but IAM policies determine if it was allowed—a common trap is assuming the event itself proves authorization. Remember the mnemonic: “Logs show the act, policies show the fact.”

SOA-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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.

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

CloudTrail log entry:
```json
{
  "eventVersion": "1.05",
  "userIdentity": {
    "type": "IAMUser",
    "arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/Admin",
    "accountId": "123456789012"
  },
  "eventTime": "2024-03-15T10:00:00Z",
  "eventSource": "ec2.amazonaws.com",
  "eventName": "StopInstances",
  "awsRegion": "us-east-1",
  "sourceIPAddress": "203.0.113.5",
  "userAgent": "console.amazonaws.com",
  "requestParameters": {
    "instancesSet": {
      "items": [
        {"instanceId": "i-0abcd1234"}
      ]
    }
  },
  "responseElements": null
}
```

A SysOps administrator is investigating an unauthorized stop of an EC2 instance. The CloudTrail log entry shows the event. What is the first step to determine if the action was authorized?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

CloudTrail log entry:
```json
{
  "eventVersion": "1.05",
  "userIdentity": {
    "type": "IAMUser",
    "arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/Admin",
    "accountId": "123456789012"
  },
  "eventTime": "2024-03-15T10:00:00Z",
  "eventSource": "ec2.amazonaws.com",
  "eventName": "StopInstances",
  "awsRegion": "us-east-1",
  "sourceIPAddress": "203.0.113.5",
  "userAgent": "console.amazonaws.com",
  "requestParameters": {
    "instancesSet": {
      "items": [
        {"instanceId": "i-0abcd1234"}
      ]
    }
  },
  "responseElements": null
}
```

A
Check the S3 bucket where CloudTrail logs are stored.
Why wrong: The log is already examined.
B
Verify the source IP address belongs to the company.
Why wrong: Does not prove authorization.
C
Check the EC2 instance's state change history.
Why wrong: Does not show authorization.
D
Check the IAM permissions of the user 'Admin' at the time of the event.
Determine if the action was allowed.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Check the IAM permissions of the user 'Admin' at the time of the event.

Option B is correct because the event shows an IAM user "Admin" and a source IP. Checking the IAM permissions for that user at the time of the event will show if they had the ec2:StopInstances permission. Option A is wrong because the event is already in CloudTrail. Option C is wrong because the instance state change is in CloudTrail. Option D is wrong because the user agent shows console.

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.

✗
Check the S3 bucket where CloudTrail logs are stored.
Why it's wrong here
The log is already examined.
✗
Verify the source IP address belongs to the company.
Why it's wrong here
Does not prove authorization.
✗
Check the EC2 instance's state change history.
Why it's wrong here
Does not show authorization.
✓
Check the IAM permissions of the user 'Admin' at the time of the event.
Why this is correct
Determine if the action was allowed.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" 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

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.

Trap categories for this question

Command / output trap
Does not show authorization.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

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.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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 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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SOA-C02 question test?

Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Check the IAM permissions of the user 'Admin' at the time of the event. — Option B is correct because the event shows an IAM user "Admin" and a source IP. Checking the IAM permissions for that user at the time of the event will show if they had the ec2:StopInstances permission. Option A is wrong because the event is already in CloudTrail. Option C is wrong because the instance state change is in CloudTrail. Option D is wrong because the user agent shows console.

What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026

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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.