SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company runs a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team wants to ensure that all S3 buckets across all accounts are encrypted with AWS KMS. What is the MOST scalable and efficient way to enforce this policy?
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
✓
Use an SCP that denies s3:PutBucketEncryption actions unless the encryption is set to aws:kms.
Using a service control policy (SCP) that denies s3:PutBucketEncryption unless the encryption is set to aws:kms is the most scalable and efficient way to enforce encryption across all accounts in an AWS Organization. SCPs are applied centrally and affect all accounts without requiring per-account configuration. Option A is less scalable because a periodic Lambda function may have delays and requires managing cross-account roles. Option C is per-account and requires Config rules and remediation in each account, which is less efficient. Option D only provides monitoring and alerting, not enforcement.
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 an AWS Lambda function that runs periodically across all accounts to check and remediate buckets.
Why it's wrong here
This is event-driven and reactive, not preventive; also complex to manage across accounts.
- ✓
Use an SCP that denies s3:PutBucketEncryption actions unless the encryption is set to aws:kms.
Why this is correct
SCPs can prevent the creation of non-compliant buckets across all accounts in the organization.
- ✗
Use AWS Config rules in each account to detect unencrypted buckets and trigger auto-remediation.
Why it's wrong here
Config rules need to be set up in each account and do not prevent creation; they only detect.
- ✗
Use AWS CloudTrail to monitor PutBucketEncryption calls and alert the security team.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs events but does not enforce policies; it only provides visibility.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.