Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs) and AWS Config. SCPs allow you to centrally deny the creation or modification of public S3 buckets across all accounts in your organization by applying a policy at the root or OU level that blocks any action granting public access, such as `s3:PutBucketPolicy` with a condition for public principals. AWS Config complements this by continuously evaluating bucket policies against rules like `s3-bucket-public-read-prohibited` and can trigger automatic remediation via Systems Manager Automation to revoke public access if detected. On the SAP-C02 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of preventive versus detective controls: SCPs are preventive and block the action before it happens, while Config is detective and can remediate after the fact. A common trap is confusing SCPs with IAM permission boundaries, which only restrict a user’s maximum permissions within a single account. Remember the mnemonic “SCP stops, Config corrects” to keep the two roles distinct.
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. 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 is using AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team wants to enforce that no S3 buckets in any account are publicly accessible. Which TWO services can the team use to achieve this?
AWS Resource Access Manager
Why wrong: Used to share resources, not enforce security policies.
AWS WAF
Why wrong: Web application firewall, not for S3 bucket policies.
AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO)
Why wrong: Manages user access, not bucket policies.
AWS Config
Can evaluate bucket policies and auto-remediate non-compliant buckets.
AWS Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs)
Can deny actions that make buckets public.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Config
Options A and D are correct: SCPs can deny public access at the OU level, and AWS Config can detect and remediate. Option B is wrong because it's for resource restrictions, not access control. Option C is wrong because it's a firewall, not for bucket policies. Option E is wrong because it's for identity federation.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Resource Access Manager
Why it's wrong here
Used to share resources, not enforce security policies.
AWS WAF
Why it's wrong here
Web application firewall, not for S3 bucket policies.
AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO)
Why it's wrong here
Manages user access, not bucket policies.
AWS Config
Why this is correct
Can evaluate bucket policies and auto-remediate non-compliant buckets.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
AWS Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs)
Why this is correct
Can deny actions that make buckets public.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Common exam traps
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Real-world example
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
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SAP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
The correct answer is: AWS Config — Options A and D are correct: SCPs can deny public access at the OU level, and AWS Config can detect and remediate. Option B is wrong because it's for resource restrictions, not access control. Option C is wrong because it's a firewall, not for bucket policies. Option E is wrong because it's for identity federation.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SAP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team wants to ensure that all new accounts created through the organization automatically have a specific AWS Config rule enabled that requires S3 buckets to be encrypted. Which TWO actions should the team take?
easyWhy C: Option A and Option D are correct. Option A (Enable AWS Config in all accounts) is necessary for rules to work. Option D (Use a conformance pack deployed to the organization) automatically applies rules to all accounts. Option B (Service Control Policy) can deny non-encrypted buckets but does not enable the Config rule. Option C (AWS CloudFormation StackSets) can deploy Config rules but requires manual setup per account. Option E (Organization Config rule) is not a feature; Config rules are per account.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.
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