The correct design is to use AWS Config rules to detect public S3 buckets and trigger an AWS Lambda function to make them private. This works because AWS Config continuously evaluates resource configurations against managed or custom rules, such as s3-bucket-public-read-prohibited, and when a non-compliant bucket is found, it can publish an event to Amazon CloudWatch Events, which then invokes a Lambda function to apply a restrictive bucket policy, achieving auto-remediation of non-compliant S3 public buckets with Config and Lambda. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this pattern tests your understanding of event-driven remediation in multi-account environments using AWS Organizations, where a common trap is choosing a solution that only detects but does not automatically fix the issue, or one that relies on manual steps. Remember the mnemonic “Config Catches, Lambda Locks” to recall that Config detects the violation and Lambda enforces the fix.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 multi-account AWS environment and uses AWS Organizations. The security team wants to automatically remediate non-compliant resources, such as S3 buckets that are publicly accessible. Which design should they implement?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS Config rules to detect public buckets and trigger an AWS Lambda function to make them private.
Option C is correct because AWS Config rules can continuously evaluate S3 bucket configurations against a custom or managed rule (e.g., 's3-bucket-public-read-prohibited'). When a bucket is detected as publicly accessible, the rule can invoke an AWS Lambda function via an Amazon CloudWatch Events event to automatically apply a bucket policy that removes public access, achieving automated remediation.
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 Amazon Inspector to scan for public buckets.
Why it's wrong here
Inspector is for instance vulnerabilities.
✗
Use an SCP to deny making buckets public.
Why it's wrong here
Prevents new public buckets but does not remediate existing ones.
✓
Use AWS Config rules to detect public buckets and trigger an AWS Lambda function to make them private.
Why this is correct
Config rules can invoke Lambda for remediation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS CloudTrail to send alerts when a bucket becomes public.
Why it's wrong here
Alerts only, no remediation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse preventive controls (SCPs) with detective and corrective controls (AWS Config + Lambda), assuming SCPs can automatically fix existing non-compliant resources, when in reality SCPs only block future API actions and do not remediate current state.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config rules use AWS Lambda functions as evaluation triggers; for remediation, you can attach an AWS Systems Manager Automation document or a custom Lambda function to the rule. The Lambda function can call the S3 PutBucketPublicAccessBlock API to block all public access at the bucket level, or modify the bucket policy to remove public statements. In a multi-account environment, this pattern can be centralized using AWS Config aggregator and cross-account IAM roles to execute remediation across accounts.
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 AWS Config rules to detect public buckets and trigger an AWS Lambda function to make them private. — Option C is correct because AWS Config rules can continuously evaluate S3 bucket configurations against a custom or managed rule (e.g., 's3-bucket-public-read-prohibited'). When a bucket is detected as publicly accessible, the rule can invoke an AWS Lambda function via an Amazon CloudWatch Events event to automatically apply a bucket policy that removes public access, achieving automated remediation.
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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