The answer is to use a Service Control Policy (SCP) that denies ec2:CreateVolume when the encrypted condition is false. This is the strongest preventive control because SCPs operate at the AWS Organizations level, blocking the API call before any volume is provisioned, which enforces encryption account-wide at the point of request. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the difference between preventive and detective controls—a common trap is choosing AWS Config (a detective control) or a key policy, which cannot prevent the action itself. Remember that SCPs are the only mechanism that can deny the CreateVolume action across an entire account, making them the most powerful guardrail for compliance. Memory tip: think "SCP stops the call" to distinguish it from Config, which only catches violations after the fact.
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 mobile banking backend 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
Option D is correct because Service Control Policies (SCPs) are a preventive control that can deny the ec2:CreateVolume action when the encrypted condition is false. This ensures that only encrypted EBS volumes can be created, enforcing encryption at the point of request before any volume is provisioned. SCPs operate at the AWS Organizations level, making them the strongest preventive mechanism for account-wide enforcement.
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.
✗
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.
✓
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse reactive controls (like Lambda remediation) with preventive controls (like SCPs), or they mistakenly think tagging or logging can enforce encryption requirements.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) policy language with condition keys such as ec2:Encrypted to evaluate the request context. When the condition key is set to false, the SCP denies the ec2:CreateVolume action, blocking the API call before any resource is created. This works across all IAM users and roles in the account, including the root user, making it a true preventive guardrail at the organization level.
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 — Option D is correct because Service Control Policies (SCPs) are a preventive control that can deny the ec2:CreateVolume action when the encrypted condition is false. This ensures that only encrypted EBS volumes can be created, enforcing encryption at the point of request before any volume is provisioned. SCPs operate at the AWS Organizations level, making them the strongest preventive mechanism for account-wide enforcement.
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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