SAP-C02 Service Control Policy (SCP) Practice Question
A company is designing a multi-account strategy using AWS Organizations. They need to enforce that all IAM users in member accounts must use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to access the AWS Management Console. Which TWO approaches should they combine to enforce this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates often choose only one of the two preventive controls (SCP or IAM policy) or confuse detective controls (like AWS Config or CloudTrail) with preventive controls. The question requires combining two approaches to enforce MFA across all accounts, and both SCPs and IAM policies are needed for a robust, multi-account strategy. SCPs provide centralized guardrails, while IAM policies provide per-account enforcement that cannot be circumvented by any role that might bypass SCPs.
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 a service control policy (SCP) that denies console access unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.
A service control policy (SCP) can be applied centrally at the organizational unit or account level to deny all console access unless the `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` condition key is `true`. This enforces MFA usage across all member accounts and cannot be overridden by account administrators. Option E is also correct because an IAM policy with the same condition key can be attached to all users or groups within each account, providing an additional layer of enforcement. Combining both ensures that even if the SCP is bypassed or not applied to a specific account, the IAM policy still enforces MFA. Together, they provide defense in depth.
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 AWS Config rules to detect users without MFA and send alerts.
Why it's wrong here
Config rules are detective, not preventive.
- ✗
Enable AWS CloudTrail to log console access without MFA.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail only logs, does not enforce.
- ✓
Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies console access unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.
Why this is correct
SCPs can centrally enforce MFA across all accounts.
- ✗
Use AWS Single Sign-On (SSO) with MFA enabled for all users.
Why it's wrong here
AWS SSO applies to federated users, not IAM users.
- ✓
Create an IAM policy in each account that denies console access unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.
Why this is correct
IAM policies enforce MFA for users in each account.
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