Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon CloudTrail and Amazon CloudWatch Events (Amazon EventBridge). CloudTrail records every AWS API call, including root user sign-ins, as a `RootLogin` event in its management event history, while CloudWatch Events allows you to create a rule that filters for this specific event pattern and triggers an action, such as sending an SNS notification to alert the administrator. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of how to combine monitoring and event-driven services for security compliance, often appearing as a scenario where you must choose the pair that enables real-time alerting without custom code. A common trap is selecting AWS Config or IAM instead, but remember that CloudTrail captures the sign-in event, and CloudWatch Events reacts to it. Memory tip: think of CloudTrail as the “recorder” and CloudWatch Events as the “reactor”—together they catch the root user in the act.
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 SysOps administrator wants to be alerted when the root user of the AWS account signs in. Which TWO services can be used together to achieve this?
AWS Lambda
Why wrong: Lambda is not directly used; the event rule triggers SNS.
AWS CloudTrail
CloudTrail logs ConsoleLogin events for the root user.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config does not track login events.
Amazon CloudWatch Events (Amazon EventBridge)
CloudWatch Events can match the ConsoleLogin event and trigger an action.
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: Trusted Advisor does not monitor login events.
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 B is correct because AWS CloudTrail logs all API calls, including root user sign-ins, as `RootLogin` events in the management events trail. Option D is correct because Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can be configured with a rule that matches these CloudTrail log events and triggers a notification action, such as sending an SNS alert, when the root user signs in.
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 Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Lambda is not directly used; the event rule triggers SNS.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs ConsoleLogin events for the root user.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config does not track login events.
Amazon CloudWatch Events (Amazon EventBridge)
Why this is correct
CloudWatch Events can match the ConsoleLogin event and trigger an action.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor does not monitor login events.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often pick AWS Config or Trusted Advisor because they associate them with security monitoring, but neither service captures API call events like root sign-ins, which require CloudTrail and EventBridge for event-driven alerting.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, CloudTrail records root user sign-ins as `ConsoleLogin` events with a `userIdentity.type` of `Root` in the JSON log. EventBridge rules use event pattern matching to filter for these specific events, and can route them to SNS topics, Lambda functions, or other targets for real-time alerting. A common subtlety is that root user sign-ins are only logged if CloudTrail is enabled for management events in all regions, and the event must be captured before the alert can trigger.
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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — This question tests Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS CloudTrail — Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail logs all API calls, including root user sign-ins, as `RootLogin` events in the management events trail. Option D is correct because Amazon CloudWatch Events (now part of Amazon EventBridge) can be configured with a rule that matches these CloudTrail log events and triggers a notification action, such as sending an SNS alert, when the root user signs in.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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