The answer is an SCP that denies ec2:CreateVolume when the encrypted condition is false. This is the strongest preventive control for encrypted EBS volumes because a Service Control Policy operates at the account or organizational unit level to block the API call before the volume is ever created, enforcing encryption as a mandatory requirement rather than detecting non-compliance afterward. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish preventive controls from detective or corrective ones—common traps include choosing AWS Config rules (detective) or Lambda auto-remediation (corrective), which act after the fact. Remember that SCPs are account-wide guardrails that cannot be overridden by IAM policies, making them the most effective for enforcing encryption at creation time. Memory tip: “SCP stops the ship before it sails—Config just logs the leak.”
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. 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 IoT ingestion API must ensure that only encrypted EBS volumes can be created in the account. What is the strongest preventive control?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use an SCP that denies ec2:CreateVolume when the encrypted condition is false
An SCP (Service Control Policy) is the strongest preventive control because it can deny the ec2:CreateVolume API call when the encrypted condition is false, effectively blocking the creation of any unencrypted EBS volume at the account level before it happens. This is a preventive control that enforces encryption as a mandatory requirement, unlike detective or corrective measures that act after the fact.
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.
✓
Use an SCP that denies ec2:CreateVolume when the encrypted condition is false
Why this is correct
An SCP can prevent noncompliant volume creation across accounts in an organization.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Run a daily Lambda function to encrypt unencrypted volumes
Why it's wrong here
Reactive remediation leaves a window of exposure.
✗
Enable VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Flow Logs monitor network traffic and do not control EBS encryption.
✗
Tag encrypted volumes after creation
Why it's wrong here
Tags identify resources but do not enforce encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing preventive controls (like SCPs that block the action) with detective or corrective controls (like Lambda scripts or tagging), leading candidates to choose a reactive solution instead of the strongest preventive one.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs are evaluated before the IAM principal's permissions and can explicitly deny API actions based on request conditions, such as ec2:CreateVolume with the ec2:Encrypted condition key set to false. Under the hood, SCPs use AWS Organizations to apply a deny effect that overrides any allow from IAM policies, making them a powerful preventive guardrail for account-wide compliance. A real-world scenario is a multi-account environment where an SCP ensures all EBS volumes are encrypted by default, even if an IAM user has full EC2 permissions.
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.
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
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Design Secure Architectures — This question tests Design Secure Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use an SCP that denies ec2:CreateVolume when the encrypted condition is false — An SCP (Service Control Policy) is the strongest preventive control because it can deny the ec2:CreateVolume API call when the encrypted condition is false, effectively blocking the creation of any unencrypted EBS volume at the account level before it happens. This is a preventive control that enforces encryption as a mandatory requirement, unlike detective or corrective measures that act after the fact.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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