Question 13 of 1,746
Design Solutions for Organizational ComplexitymediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Set Up Centralized Logging for VPC Flow Logs, CloudTrail, and AWS Config

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 with 50 accounts. They need to implement a centralized logging solution for VPC Flow Logs, CloudTrail, and AWS Config logs. The logs must be stored in a central S3 bucket and encrypted with a customer-managed KMS key. Which THREE steps should be taken to meet these requirements?

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 an S3 bucket policy that grants permissions to the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals from all accounts to write logs.

To meet the requirements, three steps are necessary. First, option A: an S3 bucket policy must be created in the central account to grant the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals from all 50 accounts the necessary permissions (e.g., s3:PutObject) to write logs into the central S3 bucket. Without this policy, cross-account log delivery would fail. Second, option C: CloudTrail must be configured in each account to deliver logs to the central S3 bucket. Each account's CloudTrail trail should specify the central S3 bucket as the destination. Third, option D: a customer-managed KMS key must be created with a key policy that allows the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals to use the key for encryption. This ensures logs are encrypted at rest using the customer-managed key. Option B (AWS Config aggregator) is not required for S3 storage; it aggregates configuration data but does not store logs in S3. Option E (VPC Flow Logs to CloudWatch Logs) does not meet the requirement of storing logs in a central S3 bucket; VPC Flow Logs can be delivered directly to S3, but the question asks for three steps, and the correct ones are A, C, and D.

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.

  • Create an S3 bucket policy that grants permissions to the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals from all accounts to write logs.

    Why this is correct

    Bucket policy must allow cross-account delivery.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Use AWS Config aggregator to collect configuration data from all accounts into a central account.

    Why it's wrong here

    Config aggregator collects configuration items, not logs; logs are delivered per account.

  • Configure CloudTrail in each account to send logs to the central S3 bucket.

    Why this is correct

    CloudTrail supports cross-account delivery.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Create a customer-managed KMS key with a key policy that allows the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals to use the key for encryption.

    Why this is correct

    KMS key policy must permit the services to use the key across accounts.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • Enable VPC Flow Logs in each account and deliver them to a central CloudWatch Logs group.

    Why it's wrong here

    VPC Flow Logs cannot be delivered across accounts to a central S3 bucket directly; they go to CloudWatch Logs or S3 per account.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often assume AWS Config aggregator or CloudWatch Logs are required for centralization, but the question explicitly requires S3 bucket storage, making direct S3 delivery the correct path.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

For cross-account log delivery, the S3 bucket policy must explicitly allow the service principals (e.g., cloudtrail.amazonaws.com, config.amazonaws.com) from all source accounts to perform s3:PutObject, and the KMS key policy must allow these service principals to use the kms:GenerateDataKey and kms:Decrypt actions for server-side encryption. AWS Config and CloudTrail use service-linked roles to assume permissions, but the bucket and key policies are the primary enforcement points for cross-account access.

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.

Quick reference

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Storage ClassMin DurationRetrievalUse Case
S3 StandardNoneImmediateFrequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA30 daysImmediateInfrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA30 daysImmediateNon-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-TieringNoneImmediate–hoursUnknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant90 daysMillisecondsArchive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible90 daysMinutes–hoursArchive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive180 daysHoursLong-term compliance archive

What to study next

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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: Create an S3 bucket policy that grants permissions to the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals from all accounts to write logs. — To meet the requirements, three steps are necessary. First, option A: an S3 bucket policy must be created in the central account to grant the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals from all 50 accounts the necessary permissions (e.g., s3:PutObject) to write logs into the central S3 bucket. Without this policy, cross-account log delivery would fail. Second, option C: CloudTrail must be configured in each account to deliver logs to the central S3 bucket. Each account's CloudTrail trail should specify the central S3 bucket as the destination. Third, option D: a customer-managed KMS key must be created with a key policy that allows the CloudTrail and AWS Config service principals to use the key for encryption. This ensures logs are encrypted at rest using the customer-managed key. Option B (AWS Config aggregator) is not required for S3 storage; it aggregates configuration data but does not store logs in S3. Option E (VPC Flow Logs to CloudWatch Logs) does not meet the requirement of storing logs in a central S3 bucket; VPC Flow Logs can be delivered directly to S3, but the question asks for three steps, and the correct ones are A, C, and D.

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: Jul 4, 2026

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