← SOA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 160 of 1,546

Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Centralized CloudTrail Logging for AWS Organizations

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 company has a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team requires that all API calls made in any account be logged to a centralized S3 bucket in the management account. Additionally, the team wants to be alerted when an IAM user in any account creates a new access key. Currently, CloudTrail is enabled in each account but logs are stored locally. Which solution meets these requirements 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.

A
Use CloudWatch Logs cross-account subscription to send logs from each account's CloudTrail log group to a central account. Create a metric filter and alarm on CreateAccessKey events.
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs can be sent to CloudWatch Logs, but cross-account subscription is more complex than an organization trail.
B
Create a CloudTrail trail in each account that sends logs to a centralized S3 bucket in the management account. Create an SNS topic in each account to alert on CreateAccessKey.
Why wrong: Requires managing multiple trails and topics; not centralized.
C
Enable CloudTrail in all accounts and use an AWS Lambda function to copy logs from each account's S3 bucket to the centralized bucket. Create a CloudWatch Events rule in each account to send alerts on CreateAccessKey.
Why wrong: Lambda copying adds complexity and latency.
D
Create a new CloudTrail organization trail in the management account that logs events to a centralized S3 bucket. Then create an Amazon EventBridge rule in the management account that matches the CreateAccessKey event and sends a notification via SNS.
Organization trails simplify logging across accounts; EventBridge can capture events from all accounts.

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

✓

Create a new CloudTrail organization trail in the management account that logs events to a centralized S3 bucket. Then create an Amazon EventBridge rule in the management account that matches the CreateAccessKey event and sends a notification via SNS.

Option D is correct because an organization trail in the management account automatically logs API calls from all accounts in the AWS Organization to a centralized S3 bucket, fulfilling the logging requirement with minimal setup. Additionally, EventBridge (formerly CloudWatch Events) in the management account can capture CreateAccessKey events from all member accounts and trigger an SNS notification, providing centralized alerting without per-account configuration. This solution eliminates the need for cross-account log forwarding, Lambda functions, or individual SNS topics, making it the least operational overhead. Option A is incorrect because it requires setting up CloudWatch Logs cross-account subscriptions, which adds complexity. Option B is incorrect because it uses separate SNS topics per account, not centralized alerting. Option C is incorrect because it relies on a Lambda function to copy logs, increasing overhead.

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 CloudWatch Logs cross-account subscription to send logs from each account's CloudTrail log group to a central account. Create a metric filter and alarm on CreateAccessKey events.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs can be sent to CloudWatch Logs, but cross-account subscription is more complex than an organization trail.
✗
Create a CloudTrail trail in each account that sends logs to a centralized S3 bucket in the management account. Create an SNS topic in each account to alert on CreateAccessKey.
Why it's wrong here
Requires managing multiple trails and topics; not centralized.
✗
Enable CloudTrail in all accounts and use an AWS Lambda function to copy logs from each account's S3 bucket to the centralized bucket. Create a CloudWatch Events rule in each account to send alerts on CreateAccessKey.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda copying adds complexity and latency.
✓
Create a new CloudTrail organization trail in the management account that logs events to a centralized S3 bucket. Then create an Amazon EventBridge rule in the management account that matches the CreateAccessKey event and sends a notification via SNS.
Why this is correct
Organization trails simplify logging across accounts; EventBridge can capture events from all accounts.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" 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.

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.

Quick reference

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Storage Class	Min Duration	Retrieval	Use Case
S3 Standard	None	Immediate	Frequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA	30 days	Immediate	Infrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA	30 days	Immediate	Non-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-Tiering	None	Immediate–hours	Unknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant	90 days	Milliseconds	Archive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible	90 days	Minutes–hours	Archive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive	180 days	Hours	Long-term compliance archive

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.

Related SOA-C02 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation practice questions

Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation.

Reliability and Business Continuity practice questions

Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Reliability and Business Continuity.

Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation practice questions

Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation.

Security and Compliance practice questions

Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.

Networking and Content Delivery practice questions

Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Networking and Content Delivery.

Cost and Performance Optimization practice questions

Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to Cost and Performance Optimization.

SOA-C02 fundamentals practice questions

Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to SOA-C02 fundamentals.

SOA-C02 scenario practice questions

Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to SOA-C02 scenario.

SOA-C02 troubleshooting practice questions

Practise SOA-C02 questions linked to SOA-C02 troubleshooting.

Practice this exam

Start a free SOA-C02 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

SOA-C02 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

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 new CloudTrail organization trail in the management account that logs events to a centralized S3 bucket. Then create an Amazon EventBridge rule in the management account that matches the CreateAccessKey event and sends a notification via SNS. — Option D is correct because an organization trail in the management account automatically logs API calls from all accounts in the AWS Organization to a centralized S3 bucket, fulfilling the logging requirement with minimal setup. Additionally, EventBridge (formerly CloudWatch Events) in the management account can capture CreateAccessKey events from all member accounts and trigger an SNS notification, providing centralized alerting without per-account configuration. This solution eliminates the need for cross-account log forwarding, Lambda functions, or individual SNS topics, making it the least operational overhead. Option A is incorrect because it requires setting up CloudWatch Logs cross-account subscriptions, which adds complexity. Option B is incorrect because it uses separate SNS topics per account, not centralized alerting. Option C is incorrect because it relies on a Lambda function to copy logs, increasing overhead.

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: "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.

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 →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Same concept, more angles

2 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 uses AWS Organizations with multiple accounts. The SysOps administrator needs to centralize the monitoring of all API calls made in any account for security analysis. The solution must collect logs from all accounts, both existing and future, and deliver them to a centralized S3 bucket in the management account. Which AWS service should the administrator use?

medium

A.AWS Config aggregator
B.Amazon CloudWatch Logs with cross-account subscription
✓ C.AWS CloudTrail organization trail
D.Amazon Detective

Why C: AWS CloudTrail organization trails allow you to log all API calls across all accounts in an AWS Organization from a single management account. When you create an organization trail, it automatically applies to all existing and future accounts, delivering logs to a centralized S3 bucket in the management account without requiring per-account configuration.

Variation 2. A company uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team needs a centralized view of all API calls made across all accounts. Which solution should the SysOps administrator implement?

hard

A.Use AWS Config aggregator to view configuration changes across accounts.
✓ B.Create a CloudTrail trail in the management account that logs events for all accounts in the organization.
C.Use CloudWatch cross-account dashboards to view metrics from all accounts.
D.Enable CloudTrail in each account and have each account send logs to its own S3 bucket.

Why B: Option B is correct because AWS CloudTrail supports an organization trail that, when created in the management account, automatically logs API calls for all member accounts in the AWS Organization. This provides a centralized, single point of access to all API activity across the organization without needing to configure individual trails per account.

Keep practising

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

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.