- A
IAM roles with multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Why wrong: IAM roles with MFA enhance authentication security but do not prevent an administrator within an account from performing destructive actions such as disabling CloudTrail or deleting bucket policies. They control who can assume a role, not what actions are allowed across accounts.
- B
AWS Config rules with automatic remediation
Why wrong: AWS Config rules are detective controls that evaluate resources for compliance with desired configurations. While automatic remediation can fix noncompliant resources after they are created, it does not prevent the initial action. For example, it could detect that CloudTrail was disabled and re-enable it, but does not stop the disable action from occurring.
- C
Service control policies (SCPs)
SCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations that allow central administrators to set permission guardrails for all accounts in the organization. SCPs can explicitly deny actions like cloudtrail:StopLogging or s3:DeleteBucketPolicy, even for the root user of member accounts. This provides a preventive control that cannot be overridden by account administrators.
- D
AWS Shield Advanced
Why wrong: AWS Shield Advanced is a managed DDoS protection service designed to safeguard applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks. It does not provide any capabilities for managing or restricting IAM permissions or resource configurations across multiple accounts.
CLF-C02 SCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations. 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 are a feature of AWS Organizations.. 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 to manage multiple accounts. The security team wants a preventive control to ensure that nobody in any account, including account root users, can disable AWS CloudTrail or delete Amazon S3 bucket policies. 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)
Service control policies (SCPs) are the correct choice because they provide centralized preventive controls over the maximum available permissions for all IAM users, roles, and root users in member accounts within AWS Organizations. SCPs can explicitly deny actions such as cloudtrail:StopLogging, cloudtrail:DeleteTrail, and s3:PutBucketPolicy, ensuring that even root users cannot disable CloudTrail or delete S3 bucket policies. This makes SCPs the only AWS feature that can enforce such restrictions across all accounts in an organization.
Key principle: SCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
IAM roles with multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles with MFA enhance authentication security but do not prevent an administrator within an account from performing destructive actions such as disabling CloudTrail or deleting bucket policies. They control who can assume a role, not what actions are allowed across accounts.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks for a detective or preventive control to require MFA before performing sensitive actions (e.g., stopping an EC2 instance) for specific IAM users or roles.
- ✗
AWS Config rules with automatic remediation
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config rules are detective controls that evaluate resources for compliance with desired configurations. While automatic remediation can fix noncompliant resources after they are created, it does not prevent the initial action. For example, it could detect that CloudTrail was disabled and re-enable it, but does not stop the disable action from occurring.
When this WOULD be correct
A company wants to automatically detect and remediate noncompliant resource configurations, such as ensuring CloudTrail is enabled or S3 bucket policies are not deleted, after they occur. In that scenario, AWS Config rules with automatic remediation would be the correct answer.
- ✓
Service control policies (SCPs)
Why this is correct
SCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations that allow central administrators to set permission guardrails for all accounts in the organization. SCPs can explicitly deny actions like cloudtrail:StopLogging or s3:DeleteBucketPolicy, even for the root user of member accounts. This provides a preventive control that cannot be overridden by account administrators.
Related concept
SCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations.
- ✗
AWS Shield Advanced
Why it's wrong here
AWS Shield Advanced is a managed DDoS protection service designed to safeguard applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks. It does not provide any capabilities for managing or restricting IAM permissions or resource configurations across multiple accounts.
When this WOULD be correct
A company wants to protect its AWS resources from distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and needs enhanced detection, mitigation, and cost protection. AWS Shield Advanced would be the correct answer for such a scenario.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CLF-C02 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Service control policies (SCPs)Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
SCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations that allow central administrators to set permission guardrails for all accounts in the organization. SCPs can explicitly deny actions like cloudtrail:StopLogging or s3:DeleteBucketPolicy, even for the root user of member accounts. This provides a preventive control that cannot be overridden by account administrators.
✗IAM roles with multi-factor authentication (MFA)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
IAM roles with MFA control user access but cannot enforce preventive restrictions across all accounts, including root users, in an AWS Organization.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks for a detective or preventive control to require MFA before performing sensitive actions (e.g., stopping an EC2 instance) for specific IAM users or roles.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think MFA provides strong security and assume it can prevent all actions, but it does not block root users or apply organization-wide.
✗AWS Config rules with automatic remediationWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
AWS Config rules with automatic remediation are detective and reactive, not preventive. They can detect noncompliant changes and trigger remediation actions, but they cannot prevent root users or others from making changes in the first place.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company wants to automatically detect and remediate noncompliant resource configurations, such as ensuring CloudTrail is enabled or S3 bucket policies are not deleted, after they occur. In that scenario, AWS Config rules with automatic remediation would be the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'preventive' with 'detective and corrective' controls, or think that automatic remediation can block actions before they happen, not realizing it only reacts after the fact.
✗AWS Shield AdvancedWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
AWS Shield Advanced is a DDoS protection service, not a preventive control for restricting actions like disabling CloudTrail or deleting S3 bucket policies across all accounts in an organization.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company wants to protect its AWS resources from distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and needs enhanced detection, mitigation, and cost protection. AWS Shield Advanced would be the correct answer for such a scenario.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'preventive control' with 'protection' and think Shield Advanced provides broad security controls, or they may not fully understand the scope of SCPs in AWS Organizations.
Analysis generated from the official CLF-C02blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse detective/corrective controls (like AWS Config rules) with preventive controls (like SCPs), or they mistakenly think IAM MFA can block API actions, when in reality MFA only adds an authentication requirement and does not restrict specific service operations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs are evaluated as an allow list or deny list at the account level before any IAM policies are evaluated, and they affect all principals including root users. For example, an SCP with a Deny effect on s3:PutBucketPolicy for all resources will prevent any user or role in the account from modifying bucket policies, even if an IAM policy explicitly allows it. This is because SCPs set a permissions boundary that cannot be overridden by any IAM policy within the account.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- SCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations.
- SCPs define maximum permissions for accounts or OUs.
- SCPs apply to all users and roles, including the root user.
- SCPs are preventive security controls.
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 are a feature of AWS Organizations.
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.
Review sCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations., then practise related CLF-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — SCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Service control policies (SCPs) — Service control policies (SCPs) are the correct choice because they provide centralized preventive controls over the maximum available permissions for all IAM users, roles, and root users in member accounts within AWS Organizations. SCPs can explicitly deny actions such as cloudtrail:StopLogging, cloudtrail:DeleteTrail, and s3:PutBucketPolicy, ensuring that even root users cannot disable CloudTrail or delete S3 bucket policies. This makes SCPs the only AWS feature that can enforce such restrictions across all accounts in an organization.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Review sCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations., then practise related CLF-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
SCPs are a feature of AWS Organizations.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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