The answer is to create an Amazon EventBridge rule that matches the CreateAccessKey event and targets an SNS topic. This solution is correct because EventBridge natively ingests CloudTrail API activity, allowing you to define a rule that filters for the specific `CreateAccessKey` event and routes it to an SNS topic for real-time alerts—all without custom code or polling, which minimizes operational overhead. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of event-driven monitoring versus traditional log analysis; a common trap is choosing a solution that requires Lambda functions or CloudWatch Logs metric filters, which add unnecessary complexity. Remember, EventBridge is the fully managed, serverless event bus that directly matches CloudTrail events, making it the leanest choice for alerting on IAM access key creation. Memory tip: think “EventBridge eats Events” to recall it consumes CloudTrail events directly, no extra cooking required.
SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. 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 company is using AWS CloudTrail to log API activity in their account. The security team needs to be alerted when an IAM user creates a new access key. Which solution meets this requirement with the least operational overhead?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an Amazon EventBridge rule that matches the CreateAccessKey event and targets an SNS topic.
Option C is correct because Amazon EventBridge can directly match the `CreateAccessKey` API call from CloudTrail and trigger an SNS topic to send an alert in real time, requiring no custom code or polling. This provides the least operational overhead by using a fully managed, event-driven rule.
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 CloudTrail email notifications for management events.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail does not have email notification capability.
✗
Configure the IAM user's permissions to require MFA for access key creation.
Why it's wrong here
This prevents the action but does not alert.
✓
Create an Amazon EventBridge rule that matches the CreateAccessKey event and targets an SNS topic.
Why this is correct
EventBridge can react to CloudTrail events in real time.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Write a Lambda function that periodically scans CloudTrail logs in S3 and sends alerts.
Why it's wrong here
This adds complexity and latency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think CloudTrail itself can send email alerts (Option A) or that a security control like MFA (Option B) satisfies the alerting requirement, but neither provides the real-time notification specified in the question.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, CloudTrail logs all management events to a trail, and EventBridge uses a rule with an event pattern matching `source: "aws.iam"` and `detail.eventName: "CreateAccessKey"` to invoke an SNS topic. This pattern ensures sub-second alerting without polling, and the SNS topic can fan out to email, SMS, or other endpoints. In a real-world scenario, this setup is critical for compliance frameworks like SOC 2 that require immediate notification of credential creation.
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.
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: Create an Amazon EventBridge rule that matches the CreateAccessKey event and targets an SNS topic. — Option C is correct because Amazon EventBridge can directly match the `CreateAccessKey` API call from CloudTrail and trigger an SNS topic to send an alert in real time, requiring no custom code or polling. This provides the least operational overhead by using a fully managed, event-driven rule.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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