- A
Use AWS Config rules to detect non-compliant security groups and trigger a Lambda function to remove the offending rules.
Why wrong: Reactive; rules exist temporarily and removal may break connectivity.
- B
Create an SCP that denies ec2:AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress for SSH ports unless the CIDR is in an approved list.
Why wrong: SCPs cannot check the value of parameters like CIDR; they can only deny actions based on resource tags or other condition keys that are not available for security group rules.
- C
Use AWS Firewall Manager to centrally manage security group rules across accounts.
Why wrong: Firewall Manager can manage security group rules, but it requires that security groups are created and managed by the tool; it's better suited for common rules, but not for fine-grained CIDR approval.
- D
Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy security groups with approved rules, and use an SCP to deny creation or modification of security groups outside of CloudFormation.
This ensures that only compliant security groups are created, and any changes must go through the central template.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use AWS CloudFormation StackSets combined with a Service Control Policy (SCP) that denies security group modifications outside of CloudFormation. This solution is correct because StackSets allow you to deploy approved security group rules across hundreds of accounts in a single, auditable operation, while the SCP uses the `aws:ViaAWSService` condition key to block any direct `ec2:CreateSecurityGroup` or `ec2:AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress` calls, ensuring only CloudFormation can manage the rules. On the SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of governance at scale, often appearing as a trap where candidates choose AWS Firewall Manager or AWS Config rules—but those lack the enforcement power of an SCP. The key insight is that StackSets provide the deployment mechanism, and the SCP provides the immutable guardrail, creating a fully auditable chain via CloudFormation change sets. Memory tip: think “StackSets for scale, SCP for jail”—the SCP locks down the jail cell, and only CloudFormation holds the key.
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 uses AWS Organizations with hundreds of accounts. They want to centrally manage VPC security group rules to ensure that only approved CIDR ranges are allowed for SSH access. Which solution is MOST scalable and auditable?
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 AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy security groups with approved rules, and use an SCP to deny creation or modification of security groups outside of CloudFormation.
Option D is correct because it combines CloudFormation StackSets for deploying approved security groups across hundreds of accounts with an SCP that denies ec2:CreateSecurityGroup and ec2:AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress actions unless they originate from CloudFormation (using the aws:ViaAWSService condition key). This ensures that only centrally managed, auditable deployments can create or modify security groups, providing both scalability and a clear audit trail via CloudFormation change sets and StackSet operations.
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.
- ✗
Use AWS Config rules to detect non-compliant security groups and trigger a Lambda function to remove the offending rules.
Why it's wrong here
Reactive; rules exist temporarily and removal may break connectivity.
- ✗
Create an SCP that denies ec2:AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress for SSH ports unless the CIDR is in an approved list.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs cannot check the value of parameters like CIDR; they can only deny actions based on resource tags or other condition keys that are not available for security group rules.
- ✗
Use AWS Firewall Manager to centrally manage security group rules across accounts.
- ✓
Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy security groups with approved rules, and use an SCP to deny creation or modification of security groups outside of CloudFormation.
Why this is correct
This ensures that only compliant security groups are created, and any changes must go through the central template.
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 Firewall Manager’s capabilities—it manages web ACLs and network firewalls, not VPC security group rules—and overlook the powerful combination of CloudFormation StackSets with SCPs using the aws:ViaAWSService condition key for preventive, auditable governance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The solution leverages the aws:ViaAWSService condition key in SCPs, which allows only CloudFormation (as a service) to perform the denied actions, effectively locking down security group management to infrastructure-as-code deployments. CloudFormation StackSets provide a single point of deployment and update for security groups across all accounts in an organization, with built-in drift detection and change tracking via StackSet operations. This approach ensures that any manual attempt to create or modify security groups is blocked, while all approved changes are logged in CloudFormation events and AWS CloudTrail for full auditability.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
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 AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy security groups with approved rules, and use an SCP to deny creation or modification of security groups outside of CloudFormation. — Option D is correct because it combines CloudFormation StackSets for deploying approved security groups across hundreds of accounts with an SCP that denies ec2:CreateSecurityGroup and ec2:AuthorizeSecurityGroupIngress actions unless they originate from CloudFormation (using the aws:ViaAWSService condition key). This ensures that only centrally managed, auditable deployments can create or modify security groups, providing both scalability and a clear audit trail via CloudFormation change sets and StackSet operations.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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