- A
Cloud provider audit or API logs
Audit and API logs record control-plane actions such as configuration changes, role updates, and security group edits. They are essential for tracking who changed cloud settings.
- B
Guest operating system event logs
Guest OS logs show activity inside the virtual machine, including logons, services, and process behavior. They help answer what commands and actions happened on the host.
- C
Printer spooler logs
Why wrong: Printer logs do not provide useful visibility into cloud account changes or VM command execution. They are not relevant to this logging requirement.
- D
Browser history from employees' home PCs
Why wrong: Home browser history is unrelated to cloud control-plane logging or host activity on the virtual machine. It would not help investigate cloud configuration changes.
- E
DHCP lease logs from the office router
Why wrong: DHCP logs may help with internal address tracking, but they do not show cloud account changes or commands run inside a VM. They are not the first logs to enable here.
Quick Answer
The answer is cloud provider audit logs and guest operating system event logs. Cloud provider audit or API logs capture every change made through the cloud’s management plane, such as who modified account settings or triggered API calls, while guest OS event logs record commands executed inside the VM itself, like PowerShell or bash activity. Together, these two sources provide full visibility across both the control plane (account-level changes) and the data plane (VM runtime commands), which is exactly what the Security+ SY0-701 exam tests when assessing cloud monitoring best practices. A common trap is to choose only one source, but the question specifically asks for two log sources that cover both who changed settings and what ran on the VM. For the exam, remember the mnemonic “Audit for the Account, Events for the Engine” — audit logs track the cloud account, and event logs track the VM’s internal engine.
SY0-701 Security Architecture Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security architecture. 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.
A company wants visibility into who changed settings in its cloud account and what commands ran on a cloud VM. Which two log sources should the team enable first? Select two.
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
Cloud provider audit or API logs
Cloud provider audit or API logs (Option A) capture all changes made to the cloud account via the provider's management plane, including who modified settings and when. Guest operating system event logs (Option B) record commands executed within the VM itself, such as PowerShell or bash commands, providing visibility into runtime activities. Together, these two sources cover both the control plane (account-level changes) and data plane (VM-level commands) for comprehensive monitoring.
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.
- ✓
Cloud provider audit or API logs
Why this is correct
Audit and API logs record control-plane actions such as configuration changes, role updates, and security group edits. They are essential for tracking who changed cloud settings.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Guest operating system event logs
Why this is correct
Guest OS logs show activity inside the virtual machine, including logons, services, and process behavior. They help answer what commands and actions happened on the host.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Printer spooler logs
Why it's wrong here
Printer logs do not provide useful visibility into cloud account changes or VM command execution. They are not relevant to this logging requirement.
- ✗
Browser history from employees' home PCs
Why it's wrong here
Home browser history is unrelated to cloud control-plane logging or host activity on the virtual machine. It would not help investigate cloud configuration changes.
- ✗
DHCP lease logs from the office router
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse guest OS logs with hypervisor logs or assume cloud provider logs alone are sufficient, missing that VM-level command execution requires OS-level logging.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Printer logs do not provide useful visibility into cloud account changes or VM command execution. They are not relevant to this logging requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud provider audit logs (e.g., AWS CloudTrail, Azure Activity Log) use REST API calls to log every action on the control plane, including IAM changes and resource modifications. Guest OS event logs (e.g., Windows Security Event ID 4688 for process creation or Linux auditd logs) capture command execution at the kernel level, which is essential for detecting unauthorized scripts or malware. In a real-world scenario, an attacker might use stolen cloud credentials to modify security groups (logged in audit logs) and then run a crypto miner on the VM (logged in guest OS logs), making both sources critical for incident response.
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 security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
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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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Security Architecture — This question tests Security Architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cloud provider audit or API logs — Cloud provider audit or API logs (Option A) capture all changes made to the cloud account via the provider's management plane, including who modified settings and when. Guest operating system event logs (Option B) record commands executed within the VM itself, such as PowerShell or bash commands, providing visibility into runtime activities. Together, these two sources cover both the control plane (account-level changes) and data plane (VM-level commands) for comprehensive monitoring.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.
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