- A
AWS Config rules with auto-remediation
Why wrong: AWS Config rules are used to evaluate resource configurations for compliance, and auto-remediation can trigger actions to fix noncompliant resources. However, they do not prevent the creation of publicly accessible S3 buckets in real time; they react after the resource is created. Additionally, account administrators could disable or modify the rules. This does not meet the requirement for a policy that cannot be overridden.
- B
Service Control Policies (SCPs) in AWS Organizations
SCPs are a type of organization policy that you can use to specify the maximum permissions for member accounts. They apply to all users and roles in the account, including the account root user, and cannot be overridden by any IAM policy within those accounts. By attaching an SCP that denies actions that make S3 buckets public (e.g., setting a bucket policy that allows public access), the security team can enforce this restriction across the entire organization.
- C
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies with a Deny effect
Why wrong: IAM policies can deny actions, but they are attached to individual IAM users, groups, or roles within a single AWS account. Account administrators have full control over IAM policies in their own account and could create policies that override these denials. This approach does not provide centralized, unchangeable enforcement across all accounts in the organization.
- D
Amazon Macie with automated response
Why wrong: Amazon Macie is a fully managed data security and data privacy service that uses machine learning to discover, monitor, and protect sensitive data in AWS. It can alert on publicly accessible S3 buckets, but it does not have the ability to prevent the creation of such buckets. It is a detection tool, not an enforcement mechanism, and it does not provide a policy that account administrators cannot override.
Quick Answer
Service Control Policies (SCPs) in AWS Organizations are the correct choice because they allow you to centrally enforce a policy that prevents public S3 buckets across all accounts, overriding any local administrator permissions. SCPs act as a guardrail at the organization root, OU, or account level, denying actions like s3:PutBucketPolicy that would make a bucket publicly accessible—even if an account admin tries to grant full access via IAM. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of centralized governance versus IAM permissions; a common trap is confusing SCPs with IAM policies or bucket policies, but remember that SCPs cannot be overridden by any user in the account. For a quick memory tip, think "SCP = Supreme Control Policy"—it sits above all other permissions in the hierarchy, making it the only tool that can enforce organization-wide bans on public S3 buckets.
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: sCPs define maximum permissions for accounts in an AWS Organization.. 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 uses AWS Organizations with multiple accounts. The security team wants to enforce a policy that prevents any user, including account administrators, from creating Amazon S3 buckets that are publicly accessible across the entire organization. The policy must be centrally managed and cannot be overridden by individual account administrators. Which AWS feature should the security team 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
Service Control Policies (SCPs) in AWS Organizations
Service Control Policies (SCPs) in AWS Organizations are the correct choice because they allow the security team to centrally define a policy that denies the creation of publicly accessible S3 buckets across all accounts in the organization. SCPs apply to all users, including account administrators, and cannot be overridden by any IAM policy or local account permissions, ensuring organization-wide enforcement.
Key principle: SCPs define maximum permissions for accounts in an AWS Organization.
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 Config rules with auto-remediation
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config rules are used to evaluate resource configurations for compliance, and auto-remediation can trigger actions to fix noncompliant resources. However, they do not prevent the creation of publicly accessible S3 buckets in real time; they react after the resource is created. Additionally, account administrators could disable or modify the rules. This does not meet the requirement for a policy that cannot be overridden.
- ✓
Service Control Policies (SCPs) in AWS Organizations
Why this is correct
SCPs are a type of organization policy that you can use to specify the maximum permissions for member accounts. They apply to all users and roles in the account, including the account root user, and cannot be overridden by any IAM policy within those accounts. By attaching an SCP that denies actions that make S3 buckets public (e.g., setting a bucket policy that allows public access), the security team can enforce this restriction across the entire organization.
Related concept
SCPs define maximum permissions for accounts in an AWS Organization.
- ✗
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies with a Deny effect
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies can deny actions, but they are attached to individual IAM users, groups, or roles within a single AWS account. Account administrators have full control over IAM policies in their own account and could create policies that override these denials. This approach does not provide centralized, unchangeable enforcement across all accounts in the organization.
- ✗
Amazon Macie with automated response
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Macie is a fully managed data security and data privacy service that uses machine learning to discover, monitor, and protect sensitive data in AWS. It can alert on publicly accessible S3 buckets, but it does not have the ability to prevent the creation of such buckets. It is a detection tool, not an enforcement mechanism, and it does not provide a policy that account administrators cannot override.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SCPs with IAM policies, thinking IAM Deny effects can be centrally managed and enforced across accounts, but IAM policies are account-scoped and can be overridden by local administrators, whereas SCPs operate at the organization level and are non-overridable.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs are JSON-based policies that define the maximum permissions for all accounts in an AWS Organization, acting as a guardrail that filters permissions granted by IAM policies. They do not grant permissions themselves but restrict what actions can be allowed, and they apply to all principals, including the root user of member accounts. A common real-world scenario is using an SCP with a Deny effect on the s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock action to prevent any bucket from being made public, which is more robust than relying on IAM because SCPs cannot be bypassed by account administrators.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- SCPs define maximum permissions for accounts in an AWS Organization.
- SCPs apply to all users and roles, including the root user, in affected accounts.
- SCPs cannot be overridden by IAM policies within member accounts.
- SCPs are centrally managed from the organization's management account.
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
SCPs define maximum permissions for accounts in an AWS Organization.
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.
Review sCPs define maximum permissions for accounts in an AWS Organization., then practise related CLF-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
- →
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Security and Compliance practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All CLF-C02 questions
1,024 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
CLF-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related CLF-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Cloud Concepts practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Concepts.
Security and Compliance practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
Cloud Technology and Services practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Technology and Services.
Billing, Pricing, and Support practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Billing, Pricing, and Support.
AWS shared responsibility model practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS shared responsibility model.
AWS IAM practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS IAM.
AWS pricing practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS pricing.
AWS support plans practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS support plans.
AWS S3 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS S3.
AWS EC2 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS EC2.
Practice this exam
Start a free CLF-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — SCPs define maximum permissions for accounts in an AWS Organization..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Service Control Policies (SCPs) in AWS Organizations — Service Control Policies (SCPs) in AWS Organizations are the correct choice because they allow the security team to centrally define a policy that denies the creation of publicly accessible S3 buckets across all accounts in the organization. SCPs apply to all users, including account administrators, and cannot be overridden by any IAM policy or local account permissions, ensuring organization-wide enforcement.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Review sCPs define maximum permissions for accounts in an AWS Organization., then practise related CLF-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
SCPs define maximum permissions for accounts in an AWS Organization.
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 →
Keep practising
More CLF-C02 practice questions
- A company publishes a message each time a new product is added to its catalogue. Three services need to receive this mes…
- A media company stores frequently accessed video thumbnails in Amazon S3. The thumbnails are read multiple times every d…
- A company needs a service to translate domain names (like www.example.com) into IP addresses, check the health of their…
- A startup runs an application on AWS and receives a monthly bill that charges exactly for the number of compute hours us…
- A financial institution runs its core banking application on-premises due to regulatory requirements. It has connected i…
- A company wants to run a MySQL database in AWS without managing database software installation, applying patches, settin…
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This CLF-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 CLF-C02 exam.
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.
Sign in to join the discussion.