CV0-004 Security Practice Question
A cloud operations team manages a multi-account AWS environment. Auditors require that every API call made in all accounts be logged to a central location, that logs be immutable for 90 days, and that the logs capture the identity of the caller, the source IP, and the request time. The team wants minimal custom development. Which combination should the team implement?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is selecting a monitoring or configuration service such as AWS Config, CloudWatch, or Security Hub when the requirement is specifically an immutable record of every API call with caller identity and source IP.
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 CloudTrail organization trail delivering to a central S3 bucket with S3 Object Lock in compliance mode and a bucket policy denying deletes.
A CloudTrail organization trail is the AWS-native way to capture API activity across all accounts in AWS Organizations into one central S3 bucket. CloudTrail events include caller identity, source IP, and event time. Applying S3 Object Lock in compliance mode plus a bucket policy that denies deletion provides the required 90-day immutability. The other services handle configuration, application logs, or findings, none of which produce the required centralized, immutable API audit trail.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Amazon CloudWatch Logs with subscription filters forwarding application logs to a central account.
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch Logs handles application and service logs, but it does not natively capture every AWS API call across accounts. Without CloudTrail, caller identity and source IP for control-plane operations are not recorded. Subscription filters forward logs that already exist; they do not create the required audit trail, and immutability would require additional configuration.
- ✗
AWS Config recording all resource configurations in each account and aggregating them into a central aggregator account.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config records resource configuration changes and evaluates compliance rules, not API call details. It does not capture caller identity, source IP, or request time for every API call, and it does not provide immutable centralized logging. Config aggregators consolidate configuration data, not CloudTrail-style audit events, so this fails the auditor's requirements.
- ✓
AWS CloudTrail organization trail delivering to a central S3 bucket with S3 Object Lock in compliance mode and a bucket policy denying deletes.
Why this is correct
An organization trail in CloudTrail automatically logs management events from all accounts in AWS Organizations to a single S3 bucket. CloudTrail records caller identity, source IP, and event time. S3 Object Lock in compliance mode with a deny-delete bucket policy makes the logs immutable for the retention period. This meets all requirements with minimal custom code.
- ✗
AWS Security Hub aggregating findings from GuardDuty and Inspector into a central administrator account.
Why it's wrong here
Security Hub aggregates security findings and compliance scores from services like GuardDuty and Inspector. It does not log every API call, nor does it record caller identity, source IP, and request time for each request. Findings are derived detections, not an immutable audit log, so this does not satisfy the auditors' 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 |
Go deeper
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About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CV0-004 question from scratch — 834 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CV0-004 exam.