- A
Enable AWS Config in each account and create a rule to mark public buckets as non-compliant.
Why wrong: AWS Config only detects non-compliance; it does not enforce or prevent actions.
- B
Create an IAM role in each account with a policy that denies public access modifications and assign it to all users.
Why wrong: IAM roles are per-account and require manual setup; they cannot enforce restrictions on all principals.
- C
Use a bucket policy on each existing bucket to deny public access and rely on AWS Config to detect new buckets.
Why wrong: Bucket policies are per-bucket and do not prevent creation of new public buckets.
- D
Create a service control policy (SCP) to deny s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock actions with conditions that require public access block settings.
SCPs can centrally enforce restrictions across all accounts in the organization.
Quick Answer
The answer is to create a service control policy (SCP) that denies the s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock action unless the request includes the required public access block settings. This is correct because SCPs applied at the AWS Organizations root or organizational unit level provide a preventive guardrail that enforces S3 block public access across all accounts before any action can occur, eliminating the need for per-account configuration and minimizing operational overhead. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of centralized governance versus detective controls—a common trap is choosing AWS Config rules or Lambda remediation, which are reactive and add overhead, whereas SCPs enforce the policy proactively. Remember that SCPs cannot grant permissions, only deny or allowlist actions, so you must pair the deny with a condition key like s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock to require the specific settings. Memory tip: think “SCP stops the put” to recall that the SCP blocks the API call that would disable public access blocks.
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 multiple AWS accounts managed via AWS Organizations. The security team requires that all S3 buckets across all accounts must block public access. How can this be enforced centrally with minimal operational overhead?
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 a service control policy (SCP) to deny s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock actions with conditions that require public access block settings.
Option D is correct because an SCP applied at the AWS Organizations root or OU level can centrally deny the `s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock` action unless the request includes specific public access block settings. This enforces the security requirement across all accounts without per-account configuration, minimizing operational overhead. SCPs are the only mechanism that can prevent actions at the account level before they occur, making them ideal for mandatory security baselines.
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.
- ✗
Enable AWS Config in each account and create a rule to mark public buckets as non-compliant.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config only detects non-compliance; it does not enforce or prevent actions.
- ✗
Create an IAM role in each account with a policy that denies public access modifications and assign it to all users.
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles are per-account and require manual setup; they cannot enforce restrictions on all principals.
- ✗
Use a bucket policy on each existing bucket to deny public access and rely on AWS Config to detect new buckets.
Why it's wrong here
Bucket policies are per-bucket and do not prevent creation of new public buckets.
- ✓
Create a service control policy (SCP) to deny s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock actions with conditions that require public access block settings.
Why this is correct
SCPs can centrally enforce restrictions across all accounts in the organization.
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 choose AWS Config (option A) because it is a common detective control, but they overlook that SCPs are the only preventive control that works centrally across all accounts with zero per-account setup.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs are evaluated before any IAM or resource-based policies, and they can use condition keys like `s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock` with `Bool` conditions on `s3:PublicAccessBlockConfiguration` parameters (e.g., `BlockPublicAcls`, `IgnorePublicAcls`, `BlockPublicPolicy`, `RestrictPublicBuckets`). This ensures that any attempt to create or modify a bucket without all four block settings set to `true` is denied. In a real-world scenario, an SCP can also be combined with a deny on `s3:PutBucketAcl` and `s3:PutBucketPolicy` to prevent other public access vectors, but the SCP in option D directly targets the standard public access block API.
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
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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 a service control policy (SCP) to deny s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock actions with conditions that require public access block settings. — Option D is correct because an SCP applied at the AWS Organizations root or OU level can centrally deny the `s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock` action unless the request includes specific public access block settings. This enforces the security requirement across all accounts without per-account configuration, minimizing operational overhead. SCPs are the only mechanism that can prevent actions at the account level before they occur, making them ideal for mandatory security baselines.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SAP-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company has multiple AWS accounts managed via AWS Organizations. The security team requires that all S3 buckets across all accounts be encrypted with AWS KMS and that bucket policies enforce HTTPS. What is the MOST efficient way to enforce these policies across all accounts?
medium- A.Apply a service control policy (SCP) to the management account.
- B.Create a custom AWS Lambda function to monitor and remediate non-compliant buckets.
- ✓ C.Apply a service control policy (SCP) to the organizational unit (OU) containing all accounts.
- D.Use AWS Config rules with automatic remediation in each account.
Why C: Option B is correct because SCPs can be applied at the OU level to deny non-compliant actions across all accounts, providing centralized enforcement. Option A is wrong because service control policies are not applied to the management account. Option C is wrong because AWS Config rules detect non-compliance but do not enforce. Option D is wrong because custom Lambda functions would require per-account deployment and are less efficient.
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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