The answer is that the S3 bucket policy in the logging account lacks the necessary condition keys to authorize cross-account writes from the source accounts. Even when the bucket policy generally allows CloudTrail to deliver logs, it must explicitly include the `AWS:SourceAccount` or `AWS:SourceArn` condition to validate that the write request originates from a trusted source account’s CloudTrail service. Without this, the bucket policy effectively denies the cross-account delivery, regardless of correct IAM permissions in the source accounts. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cross-account resource-based policy hardening—a common trap is assuming that a simple “Allow” for the CloudTrail service principal is sufficient. Remember, for cross-account CloudTrail logs to appear in the central bucket, the bucket policy must explicitly tie the permission to the source account using a condition key; otherwise, the logs remain missing. Memory tip: “Source condition or logs are missing.”
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 a centralized logging account. The security team wants to ensure that all CloudTrail logs from all accounts are delivered to a single S3 bucket in the logging account. The logging account's S3 bucket policy allows CloudTrail to write logs from other accounts. The CloudTrail trail in each account is configured to deliver to the centralized bucket. However, logs from some accounts are not appearing. The security team has verified that the IAM permissions for CloudTrail are correct. What is the most likely reason for the missing logs?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The S3 bucket policy does not grant CloudTrail write access from the source accounts
Option C is correct because the most likely reason for missing logs is that the S3 bucket policy in the logging account does not explicitly grant CloudTrail write access from the source accounts. Even though the bucket policy allows CloudTrail to write logs, it must include a principal that identifies the source account's CloudTrail service (e.g., `AWS:SourceAccount` or `AWS:SourceArn`) to authorize cross-account writes. Without this, CloudTrail from other accounts cannot deliver logs to the centralized bucket, regardless of correct IAM permissions in the source accounts.
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.
✗
CloudTrail cannot deliver logs to a bucket in a different AWS account
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail supports cross-account log delivery.
✗
The S3 bucket policy does not include a condition for aws:SourceOrgID
Why it's wrong here
While best practice, it's not required for basic cross-account delivery.
✓
The S3 bucket policy does not grant CloudTrail write access from the source accounts
Why this is correct
The bucket policy must allow the CloudTrail service principal from each source account to write logs.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The accounts need to enable VPC endpoints for S3 to communicate with the logging account
Why it's wrong here
VPC endpoints are not necessary for cross-account S3 access over the internet.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume IAM permissions in the source account are sufficient, but they overlook that cross-account S3 access requires explicit permission in the destination bucket's resource-based policy, not just the source's identity-based policy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, CloudTrail uses the S3 bucket policy's `Principal` element to authorize cross-account writes. The policy must include a statement like `"Principal": { "Service": "cloudtrail.amazonaws.com" }` and a condition such as `"StringEquals": { "AWS:SourceArn": "arn:aws:cloudtrail:region:source-account-id:trail/trail-name" }` to prevent the confused deputy problem. Without this condition, the bucket policy might allow CloudTrail from any account, but missing the specific source account ARN can cause silent failures where logs are dropped without error.
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: The S3 bucket policy does not grant CloudTrail write access from the source accounts — Option C is correct because the most likely reason for missing logs is that the S3 bucket policy in the logging account does not explicitly grant CloudTrail write access from the source accounts. Even though the bucket policy allows CloudTrail to write logs, it must include a principal that identifies the source account's CloudTrail service (e.g., `AWS:SourceAccount` or `AWS:SourceArn`) to authorize cross-account writes. Without this, CloudTrail from other accounts cannot deliver logs to the centralized bucket, regardless of correct IAM permissions in the source accounts.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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