Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Exhibit
AWS Organizations policy summary:
Root OU: Full access
Production OU: SCP attached
SCP content:
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Deny",
"Action": ["ec2:CreateSnapshot", "ec2:DeleteSnapshot"],
"Resource": "*"
}
]
}
CloudTrail event:
- userIdentity: arn:aws:iam::444455556666:role/OpsAdmin
- eventName: CreateSnapshot
- errorCode: AccessDenied
- errorMessage: action denied by organizations service control policyBased on the exhibit, why is the IAM role still receiving AccessDenied even though it has AdministratorAccess attached?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
AdministratorAccess is always evaluated before SCPs, so the SCP is ignored in production accounts.
IAM allows are not evaluated before SCPs in a way that bypasses an SCP deny. The SCP still limits the account.
B
Best answer
The SCP is acting as a maximum permission guardrail, so its explicit deny overrides the IAM allow.
SCPs set the outer boundary for permissions in an account or OU. They do not grant access, but they can block actions even when the IAM role has AdministratorAccess. The explicit deny in the SCP is therefore the reason CreateSnapshot fails. To allow the operation, the organization must change the SCP or move the account out of the restrictive scope.
C
Distractor review
The role needs a session duration of at least 12 hours before SCPs stop applying.
Session duration does not change how SCP evaluation works. The denial is policy-based, not session-length based.
D
Distractor review
The account needs an AWS Config rule to approve the snapshot action before IAM can work.
AWS Config evaluates resource compliance and cannot authorize API calls or override an SCP deny.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Authentication checks who the user is.
- Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
- Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
- AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
- Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
- Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
- Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A team needs to distribute TCP traffic (not HTTP) across multiple services. The services must see the original client source IP for auditing. Which AWS load balancer is the best fit?
Question 2
A team wants to run containerized services with AWS-managed orchestration and autoscaling. They do NOT require Kubernetes compatibility. Which AWS service choice is most appropriate to meet these goals?
Question 3
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a IoT ingestion API. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
Question 4
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a claims portal. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
Question 5
A team wants to delegate IAM management to developers, but must ensure developers can never grant themselves permissions beyond a specific limit. Which AWS mechanism best matches this requirement?
Question 6
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a healthcare document service. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Authentication checks who the user is.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The SCP is acting as a maximum permission guardrail, so its explicit deny overrides the IAM allow. — The exhibit shows an explicit SCP deny for EC2 snapshot actions. In AWS Organizations, SCPs act as permission guardrails: they do not grant permissions, but they can block actions that IAM would otherwise allow. Because the role is in the production OU, the SCP deny takes precedence and causes the AccessDenied result. The fix is to update the SCP or move the account to an OU without that restriction. Why others are wrong: AdministratorAccess does not bypass an SCP deny, so the first option is incorrect. Session duration has nothing to do with policy evaluation, so it cannot remove the denial. AWS Config is for compliance and drift detection, not authorization, so it cannot approve an API call that an SCP blocks.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
Discussion
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