Quick Answer
The answer is CloudTrail, AWS Config, and Amazon CloudWatch Logs. CloudTrail records all IAM API calls, providing a detailed audit trail of who made what change and when, while AWS Config continuously tracks the configuration state of IAM resources and can trigger automated rules for compliance. CloudWatch Logs then serves as the centralized storage and monitoring layer for those CloudTrail logs, enabling real-time alerting and long-term retention. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this combination tests your understanding of the three pillars of auditing: recording (CloudTrail), tracking (Config), and monitoring (CloudWatch Logs). A common trap is choosing GuardDuty, which is for threat detection, not change auditing, or Trusted Advisor, which is for best-practice recommendations. Memory tip: think "Record, Track, Watch" — CloudTrail records, Config tracks, CloudWatch watches.
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 SysOps administrator needs to audit all changes to IAM resources in their AWS account. Which THREE AWS services can be used together to achieve this? (Choose THREE.)
AWS CloudTrail
Records IAM API calls.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty is for threat detection.
AWS Config
Tracks resource changes and can evaluate rules.
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: Trusted Advisor provides recommendations, not auditing.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Can store and monitor CloudTrail logs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS CloudTrail
Option A is correct because AWS CloudTrail records IAM API calls. Option C is correct because AWS Config can track changes to IAM resources and trigger rules. Option D is correct because Amazon CloudWatch Logs can store and monitor CloudTrail logs. Option B is wrong because Amazon GuardDuty is for threat detection, not auditing changes. Option E is wrong because AWS Trusted Advisor is for best-practice checks.
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.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
Records IAM API calls.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty is for threat detection.
AWS Config
Why this is correct
Tracks resource changes and can evaluate rules.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor provides recommendations, not auditing.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
Can store and monitor CloudTrail logs.
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 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.
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: AWS CloudTrail — Option A is correct because AWS CloudTrail records IAM API calls. Option C is correct because AWS Config can track changes to IAM resources and trigger rules. Option D is correct because Amazon CloudWatch Logs can store and monitor CloudTrail logs. Option B is wrong because Amazon GuardDuty is for threat detection, not auditing changes. Option E is wrong because AWS Trusted Advisor is for best-practice checks.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A SysOps administrator needs to audit all API calls made in the AWS account, including actions performed by the root user. Which service should be enabled?
easyWhy C: AWS CloudTrail records all API calls, including those by the root user, and delivers log files to an S3 bucket. CloudWatch Logs is for log monitoring, not auditing API calls. AWS Config records resource configuration changes, not API calls. VPC Flow Logs capture network traffic, not API calls.
Variation 2. A SysOps administrator needs to audit all changes to IAM policies in an AWS account. Which AWS service should be used to record these changes?
easyWhy C: Option A is correct because AWS CloudTrail records API calls, including IAM policy changes. Option B is wrong because AWS Config records resource configuration changes but not all API calls; it can track IAM policy changes via rules but CloudTrail is more direct for auditing API calls. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch Logs can store logs but does not capture them initially. Option D is wrong because S3 is a storage service, not a logging service.
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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