- A
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail records API calls made in the account, not the current configuration state of resources. It cannot detect whether versioning is enabled on an existing bucket.
- B
AWS Config
Correct. AWS Config evaluates resource configurations against desired policies using managed or custom rules. The 's3-bucket-versioning-enabled' managed rule will flag buckets that do not have versioning enabled.
- C
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Amazon Inspector automatically discovers workloads and scans for software vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure. It does not evaluate S3 bucket configurations.
- D
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: AWS Trusted Advisor offers best practice checks, including an S3 bucket permissions check, but it does not provide automated detection and real-time notifications based on your custom compliance rules.
SOA-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 wants to ensure that all Amazon S3 buckets have versioning enabled to protect against accidental deletion of objects. A SysOps administrator needs to automatically detect any buckets that do not have versioning enabled and receive notifications. Which AWS service should the administrator use?
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
AWS Config
AWS Config is the correct service because it provides managed rules, such as 's3-bucket-versioning-enabled', that continuously evaluate your S3 buckets against desired configuration states. When a bucket is non-compliant (versioning disabled), AWS Config can trigger an Amazon SNS notification to alert the administrator, enabling automated detection and remediation.
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.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail records API calls made in the account, not the current configuration state of resources. It cannot detect whether versioning is enabled on an existing bucket.
- ✓
AWS Config
Why this is correct
Correct. AWS Config evaluates resource configurations against desired policies using managed or custom rules. The 's3-bucket-versioning-enabled' managed rule will flag buckets that do not have versioning enabled.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Inspector automatically discovers workloads and scans for software vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure. It does not evaluate S3 bucket configurations.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
AWS Trusted Advisor offers best practice checks, including an S3 bucket permissions check, but it does not provide automated detection and real-time notifications based on your custom compliance rules.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse AWS Config (continuous configuration auditing) with AWS CloudTrail (API activity logging), thinking that CloudTrail can detect non-compliant states when it only records actions that change the state.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config evaluates resources using managed or custom rules written in AWS Lambda or JSON-based rule logic. The 's3-bucket-versioning-enabled' rule checks the 'Versioning' property of the S3 bucket resource, specifically the 'Status' field which must be 'Enabled' (not 'Suspended'). Under the hood, AWS Config records configuration items (CIs) in a timeline, allowing you to see when a bucket became non-compliant and trigger remediation via Systems Manager Automation or SNS.
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.
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Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Config — AWS Config is the correct service because it provides managed rules, such as 's3-bucket-versioning-enabled', that continuously evaluate your S3 buckets against desired configuration states. When a bucket is non-compliant (versioning disabled), AWS Config can trigger an Amazon SNS notification to alert the administrator, enabling automated detection and remediation.
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 →
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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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