DOP-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
A company wants to centrally manage and apply policies across multiple AWS accounts in an AWS Organization. Which service should be used to define and enforce compliance rules?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse AWS Config rules (which detect non-compliance) with SCPs (which enforce compliance), leading them to choose Config instead of SCPs for policy enforcement.
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 Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs)
AWS Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs) are the correct choice because they centrally manage permissions across all accounts in an AWS Organization by defining maximum allowable permissions. SCPs act as a guardrail, restricting what member accounts can do, even if IAM policies within those accounts grant broader access. This makes SCPs the ideal service for enforcing compliance rules at the organization level.
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 Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs)
Why this is correct
SCPs centrally govern the maximum available permissions for every IAM principal in all accounts within an AWS Organizations hierarchy. They act as guardrails that filter which actions a principal or root user can perform, regardless of any IAM policies that grant broader access, enabling cross-account policy enforcement.
- ✗
AWS Config rules
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config rules are detective controls that continuously evaluate resource configurations (e.g., whether an S3 bucket is public) against desired state. They do not apply, modify, or enforce identity-based policies across accounts; instead, they generate compliance findings and can trigger remediation actions, but never centrally manage permissions.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
AWS CloudTrail is a governance and audit service that records API activity across accounts. It captures who made API calls, when, and from where, but it does not influence, restrict, or apply policies. CloudTrail is purely a logging/detection tool, not a preventive or central policy management mechanism.
- ✗
IAM policies
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies are identity-based or resource-based permissions designed for a single AWS account. They must be attached individually to IAM users, groups, or roles, and cannot directly set a uniform permission boundary across multiple accounts without per-account implementation. Cross-account policies via IAM require role assumptions, making them unsuitable for central policy management.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DOP-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 DOP-C02 exam.