The correct answer is a Deny statement for ec2:TerminateInstances on all resources. This works because in AWS IAM, an explicit deny overrides any allow, making it the only way to reliably block termination while preserving stop permissions. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this tests your understanding of IAM policy evaluation logic—specifically that an explicit deny is a hard override, regardless of other allow statements. A common trap is choosing an allow-only policy or a statement that grants both stop and terminate, which fails to restrict the unwanted action. Remember the memory tip: “Deny always wins”—once you explicitly deny an action, no other policy can grant it. For this scenario, the explicit deny on ec2:TerminateInstances ensures the user can stop instances but never terminate them, aligning perfectly with the search intent of IAM policy explicit deny to prevent termination.
DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 developer notices that an IAM user has permissions to terminate EC2 instances, but the user should only be allowed to stop instances. The developer needs to update the policy to prevent termination while allowing stop. Which IAM policy statement should be added?
Option B is correct because a Deny statement for ec2:TerminateInstances will explicitly block termination, overriding any Allow. Option A is wrong because it allows termination. Option C is wrong because it allows both. Option D is wrong because ec2:RebootInstances is unrelated.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DVA-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Security — This question tests Security — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: {"Effect":"Deny","Action":"ec2:TerminateInstances","Resource":"*"} — Option B is correct because a Deny statement for ec2:TerminateInstances will explicitly block termination, overriding any Allow. Option A is wrong because it allows termination. Option C is wrong because it allows both. Option D is wrong because ec2:RebootInstances is unrelated.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DVA-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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