← DOP-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 1,693 of 1,740

Security and Compliance →mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is to use an IAM policy with a condition key restricting ec2:Owner or ec2:ImageId, combined with an AWS Organizations service control policy (SCP) to enforce the restriction across all accounts. These two actions work together to prevent the launch of EC2 instances from unapproved AMIs at both the individual user and organizational levels. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of preventive versus detective controls—a common trap is choosing AWS Config, which only detects non-compliance after launch, or relying on tagging, which has no enforcement power. The key distinction is that IAM policies and SCPs are preventive, blocking the action before it happens, while Config and CloudTrail are reactive. Memory tip: think "IAM for users, SCP for orgs" to lock down AMI usage before any instance spins up.

DOP-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question

This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 company needs to ensure that an EC2 instance can only be launched using a specific Amazon Machine Image (AMI) that has been approved by the security team. Which TWO actions should be taken?

Question 1mediummulti select

Full question →

A
Tag the approved AMI and use resource-based policies to allow only tagged AMIs.
Why wrong: AMI resource-based policies do not support tag conditions for ec2:RunInstances.
B
Create an IAM policy that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the AMI ID matches the approved AMI.
IAM policy can conditionally allow or deny actions based on AMI ID.
C
Use an AWS Organizations service control policy (SCP) to restrict AMI usage across accounts.
SCPs can enforce restrictions on all accounts in the organization.
D
Create an AWS Config rule to check that EC2 instances are launched from the approved AMI.
Why wrong: Config is detective, not preventive.
E
Enable CloudTrail to log all EC2 RunInstances calls and alert on unapproved AMIs.
Why wrong: CloudTrail is detective, not preventive.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Create an IAM policy that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the AMI ID matches the approved AMI.

Option B is correct because an IAM policy with a condition for ec2:Owner or ec2:ImageId can restrict which AMIs can be used. Option C is correct because an SCP in AWS Organizations can enforce this across accounts. Option A is wrong because Config rules only detect non-compliance, not prevent. Option D is wrong because tagging does not enforce AMI usage. Option E is wrong because CloudTrail is for logging.

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.

✗
Tag the approved AMI and use resource-based policies to allow only tagged AMIs.
Why it's wrong here
AMI resource-based policies do not support tag conditions for ec2:RunInstances.
✓
Create an IAM policy that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the AMI ID matches the approved AMI.
Why this is correct
IAM policy can conditionally allow or deny actions based on AMI ID.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use an AWS Organizations service control policy (SCP) to restrict AMI usage across accounts.
Why this is correct
SCPs can enforce restrictions on all accounts in the organization.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create an AWS Config rule to check that EC2 instances are launched from the approved AMI.
Why it's wrong here
Config is detective, not preventive.
✗
Enable CloudTrail to log all EC2 RunInstances calls and alert on unapproved AMIs.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail is detective, not preventive.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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 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.

Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

Related DOP-C02 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Configuration Management and IaC practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Configuration Management and IaC.

Resilient Cloud Solutions practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Resilient Cloud Solutions.

Monitoring and Logging practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Monitoring and Logging.

Incident and Event Response practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Incident and Event Response.

Security and Compliance practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.

SDLC Automation practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to SDLC Automation.

DOP-C02 fundamentals practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 fundamentals.

DOP-C02 scenario practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 scenario.

DOP-C02 troubleshooting practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 troubleshooting.

Practice this exam

Start a free DOP-C02 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

DOP-C02 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DOP-C02 question test?

Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Create an IAM policy that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the AMI ID matches the approved AMI. — Option B is correct because an IAM policy with a condition for ec2:Owner or ec2:ImageId can restrict which AMIs can be used. Option C is correct because an SCP in AWS Organizations can enforce this across accounts. Option A is wrong because Config rules only detect non-compliance, not prevent. Option D is wrong because tagging does not enforce AMI usage. Option E is wrong because CloudTrail is for logging.

What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?

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 →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

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.

Loading comments…

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.