The correct combination is using an SCP to require SSE-KMS for all S3 put operations and applying a bucket policy that restricts access to a specific IAM role. This works because the SCP enforces encryption at rest at the organizational level, ensuring that any log data written to the central bucket must use AWS KMS, which provides centralized key management and audit trails. The bucket policy then limits access to only authorized security personnel by specifying a particular IAM role, preventing any other principal—even from trusted accounts—from reading the logs. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to combine preventive controls (SCPs) with resource-based policies for cross-account centralized logging. A common trap is thinking a bucket policy alone can enforce encryption, but SCPs are needed to block unencrypted writes from any account. Remember the mnemonic: SCPs seal the write, bucket policies block the read.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. 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 has a centralized logging solution using Amazon S3 and AWS CloudTrail across multiple accounts. The logs are delivered to a central S3 bucket. The security team needs to ensure that logs are encrypted at rest and access is limited to only authorized security personnel. Which combination of actions should be taken?
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 to require SSE-KMS for all S3 put operations, and apply a bucket policy that only allows access from a specific IAM role.
Option B is correct because using an SCP to require SSE-KMS for all S3 put operations ensures that any log data written to the central bucket is encrypted at rest with AWS KMS, providing an additional layer of control and auditability. The bucket policy that restricts access to a specific IAM role ensures that only authorized security personnel can access the logs, meeting the security team's requirements for encryption and access limitation.
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.
✗
Enable CloudTrail log file validation and use IAM policies to limit access.
Use an SCP to require SSE-KMS for all S3 put operations, and apply a bucket policy that only allows access from a specific IAM role.
Why this is correct
SCP enforces encryption, and bucket policy restricts access to the required role.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 and apply a bucket policy to restrict access.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 does not allow separate key management, and bucket policies can be changed by account admins.
✗
Use AWS KMS with a customer managed key and attach an SCP to prevent deletion of the key.
Why it's wrong here
This does not enforce encryption on the bucket.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse enabling default encryption (which only applies to new objects if no encryption header is provided) with enforcing encryption via policy, or they overlook that SCPs can enforce encryption requirements across all accounts in an organization, not just within a single account.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs (Service Control Policies) in AWS Organizations can be used to deny S3 PutObject operations unless the request includes the `x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws:kms` header, effectively requiring SSE-KMS for all writes. The bucket policy with a condition that allows access only from a specific IAM role (e.g., using `aws:SourceArn` or `aws:PrincipalArn`) ensures that even if other principals have S3 permissions, they cannot access the bucket unless they assume that role. This combination enforces both encryption and access control at the organizational level, which is critical for multi-account logging solutions.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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 Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use an SCP to require SSE-KMS for all S3 put operations, and apply a bucket policy that only allows access from a specific IAM role. — Option B is correct because using an SCP to require SSE-KMS for all S3 put operations ensures that any log data written to the central bucket is encrypted at rest with AWS KMS, providing an additional layer of control and auditability. The bucket policy that restricts access to a specific IAM role ensures that only authorized security personnel can access the logs, meeting the security team's requirements for encryption and access limitation.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 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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