- A
Use the PutMetricData API in the application to publish the number of failed attempts as a custom metric, then create an alarm.
Why wrong: While possible, this requires code changes and is not as straightforward as using a metric filter on existing logs.
- B
Create a metric filter on the log group for the string 'FAILED_AUTH', set the metric value to 1, then create an alarm on the resulting metric.
A metric filter counts occurrences of a pattern in log events and publishes a metric that can be alarmed on, without requiring application changes.
- C
Use AWS CloudTrail to track authentication events and create a metric filter on the CloudTrail log group.
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs AWS API calls, not application-level authentication attempts. This would not capture the required data.
- D
Use Amazon Athena to query the logs every 5 minutes and publish results to a CloudWatch metric.
Why wrong: Athena is suitable for ad-hoc analysis but not for real-time metric generation and alarming.
Quick Answer
The answer is to create a metric filter on the log group for the string 'FAILED_AUTH', set the metric value to 1, then create an alarm on the resulting metric. This works because a CloudWatch Logs metric filter to count failed authentication attempts extracts a numeric value from log events without modifying application code; each matching log entry increments the custom metric by the specified value, allowing you to aggregate the count over a 5-minute period. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how metric filters bridge log data and CloudWatch alarms, often appearing as a question where you must avoid overcomplicating the solution with Lambda or additional services. A common trap is thinking you need to parse the entire log line or use a pattern-matching expression, but a simple string filter on 'FAILED_AUTH' is sufficient. Remember the mnemonic: "Filter, Value, Alarm" — the filter matches the string, the value sets the increment, and the alarm watches the sum.
SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
An application logs user authentication attempts to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. The SysOps administrator needs to create a custom metric that counts the number of failed authentication attempts every 5 minutes and trigger an alarm when the count exceeds 5. Which combination of actions should the administrator take?
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
Create a metric filter on the log group for the string 'FAILED_AUTH', set the metric value to 1, then create an alarm on the resulting metric.
Option B is correct because CloudWatch Logs metric filters allow you to extract a numeric value from log events and publish it as a custom metric. By creating a filter that matches the string 'FAILED_AUTH' and setting the metric value to 1, each failed attempt increments the metric. You can then set the metric's period to 5 minutes and create an alarm that triggers when the sum exceeds 5, meeting the requirement without modifying the application code.
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.
- ✗
Use the PutMetricData API in the application to publish the number of failed attempts as a custom metric, then create an alarm.
Why it's wrong here
While possible, this requires code changes and is not as straightforward as using a metric filter on existing logs.
- ✓
Create a metric filter on the log group for the string 'FAILED_AUTH', set the metric value to 1, then create an alarm on the resulting metric.
Why this is correct
A metric filter counts occurrences of a pattern in log events and publishes a metric that can be alarmed on, without requiring application changes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use AWS CloudTrail to track authentication events and create a metric filter on the CloudTrail log group.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs AWS API calls, not application-level authentication attempts. This would not capture the required data.
- ✗
Use Amazon Athena to query the logs every 5 minutes and publish results to a CloudWatch metric.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse CloudTrail (which logs AWS API calls) with application-level logging, leading them to choose Option C, or they assume the application must be modified to publish metrics (Option A), missing the serverless metric filter approach.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudWatch Logs metric filters work by scanning incoming log events in real time; each time a pattern matches, it increments the metric value by the specified amount (default 1). The resulting metric is a custom metric with dimensions you define, and you can set the alarm statistic to 'Sum' with a period of 5 minutes to count failures. A subtle behavior is that metric filters only process log events after the filter is created, so historical logs are not counted, and the filter must be applied to the correct log group where authentication logs are stored.
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 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
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
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 a metric filter on the log group for the string 'FAILED_AUTH', set the metric value to 1, then create an alarm on the resulting metric. — Option B is correct because CloudWatch Logs metric filters allow you to extract a numeric value from log events and publish it as a custom metric. By creating a filter that matches the string 'FAILED_AUTH' and setting the metric value to 1, each failed attempt increments the metric. You can then set the metric's period to 5 minutes and create an alarm that triggers when the sum exceeds 5, meeting the requirement without modifying the application code.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
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
1 more ways this is tested on SOA-C02
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 company runs a web application on Amazon EC2 instances. The application logs are sent to Amazon CloudWatch Logs. The SysOps administrator needs to monitor the logs for an increasing number of HTTP 500 errors. The administrator wants to create a metric filter that will count the number of lines containing 'HTTP 500' in the log group. Which syntax should the administrator use for the metric filter pattern?
medium- A.[error, HTTP, 500]
- ✓ B."HTTP 500"
- C."HTTP" && "500"
- D.[HTTP, 500, ...]
Why B: Option B is correct because CloudWatch Logs metric filter patterns use literal string matching by enclosing the exact text in double quotes. The pattern "HTTP 500" will match any log line that contains the exact substring 'HTTP 500', which is the simplest and most reliable way to count occurrences of HTTP 500 errors.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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