The correct answer is to use a service control policy (SCP) to deny actions that disable CloudTrail or modify the trail configuration, combined with an AWS Config rule to detect missing or misconfigured trails. SCPs act as a preventive guardrail at the organization level, blocking any account from altering or deleting CloudTrail settings, while AWS Config provides detective enforcement by continuously evaluating trail compliance and triggering remediation if a trail is removed or misconfigured. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the layered defense model—SCPs for prevention and Config for detection—and often appears as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose IAM roles or Lambda functions, which cannot enforce policies across accounts. Remember the memory tip: “SCP to stop, Config to spot” when you need to enforce CloudTrail logs to a central bucket.
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 uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team wants to ensure that all accounts use AWS CloudTrail with logs delivered to a central S3 bucket. Which TWO actions should be taken to enforce this?
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 when CloudTrail is not configured correctly and trigger remediation
Options A and D are correct. SCPs can prevent disabling CloudTrail or modifying the trail. AWS Config rules can detect missing or misconfigured trails. Option B is wrong because IAM roles do not enforce CloudTrail. Option C is wrong because Lambda can create but not enforce. Option E is wrong because CloudFormation can deploy but not prevent removal.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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 IAM role in each account that requires CloudTrail to be enabled
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles cannot require services to be enabled.
✗
Use CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail trail in each account
Why it's wrong here
This does not prevent users from disabling the trail.
✓
Use AWS Config rules to detect when CloudTrail is not configured correctly and trigger remediation
Why this is correct
Config rules can monitor and auto-remediate to ensure compliance.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
✗
Use AWS Lambda to automatically re-enable CloudTrail if it is disabled
Why it's wrong here
This is reactive and not enforcement.
✓
Use a service control policy (SCP) to deny actions that disable CloudTrail or modify the trail configuration
Why this is correct
SCPs can prevent disabling or altering the central trail.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
The first matching ACL entry is used.
There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
→Check inbound versus outbound direction.
→Read the ACL from top to bottom.
→Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SAP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS Config rules to detect when CloudTrail is not configured correctly and trigger remediation — Options A and D are correct. SCPs can prevent disabling CloudTrail or modifying the trail. AWS Config rules can detect missing or misconfigured trails. Option B is wrong because IAM roles do not enforce CloudTrail. Option C is wrong because Lambda can create but not enforce. Option E is wrong because CloudFormation can deploy but not prevent removal.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SAP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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Question Discussion
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