The answer is to apply a service control policy (SCP) that denies cloudtrail:StopLogging and cloudtrail:DeleteTrail. This works because SCPs act as a centralized permission guardrail across all accounts in an AWS Organization, allowing you to prevent disabling CloudTrail or deleting logs across accounts regardless of what IAM policies are set locally. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this tests your understanding that SCPs are the only preventive control that operates at the organization level, while IAM permissions are account-specific and AWS Config is merely detective. A common trap is confusing resource-based policies with SCPs—remember that CloudTrail trails are not resources you can attach a policy to for this purpose. Memory tip: SCPs are the “stop sign” for the entire organization, so think “SCP stops StopLogging.”
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 with hundreds of accounts. The security team wants to ensure that no account can disable AWS CloudTrail or delete CloudTrail log files. Which preventive control should be implemented?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Apply a service control policy (SCP) that denies cloudtrail:StopLogging and cloudtrail:DeleteTrail.
A service control policy (SCP) can deny actions that disable CloudTrail or delete logs. Option A is wrong because IAM permissions only apply within an account. Option B is wrong because CloudTrail is not a resource that can be protected by a resource-based policy in this context. Option D is wrong because AWS Config is detective.
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.
✗
Use AWS Config rules to detect and remediate any changes to CloudTrail configurations.
Why it's wrong here
Config rules are reactive, not preventive.
✓
Apply a service control policy (SCP) that denies cloudtrail:StopLogging and cloudtrail:DeleteTrail.
Why this is correct
SCPs can restrict actions across all accounts in the organization.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
✗
Create an IAM policy that denies cloudtrail:StopLogging and cloudtrail:DeleteTrail for all IAM users.
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies do not prevent actions by the root user or users in other accounts.
✗
Apply a resource-based policy to the CloudTrail trail that denies these actions.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail trails do not support resource-based policies.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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: Apply a service control policy (SCP) that denies cloudtrail:StopLogging and cloudtrail:DeleteTrail. — A service control policy (SCP) can deny actions that disable CloudTrail or delete logs. Option A is wrong because IAM permissions only apply within an account. Option B is wrong because CloudTrail is not a resource that can be protected by a resource-based policy in this context. Option D is wrong because AWS Config is detective.
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.
About these practice questions
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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 is using AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team wants to ensure that no one can disable AWS CloudTrail or delete CloudTrail log files across any account. What is the most effective way to enforce this?
easy
A.Use an SCP to require that CloudTrail is enabled.
B.Use IAM policies in each account to deny the same actions.
C.Use AWS Config rules to detect and remediate changes.
✓ D.Attach an SCP to the root OU that denies cloudtrail:StopLogging, cloudtrail:DeleteTrail, and s3:DeleteObject actions for the CloudTrail S3 bucket.
Why D: Option D is correct because Service Control Policies (SCPs) in AWS Organizations can be attached to the root organizational unit (OU) to centrally deny specific actions across all accounts, including the management account. By denying `cloudtrail:StopLogging`, `cloudtrail:DeleteTrail`, and `s3:DeleteObject` on the CloudTrail S3 bucket, the security team ensures that no principal in any account can disable CloudTrail or delete log files, regardless of their IAM permissions. SCPs are the only mechanism that can enforce such guardrails across all accounts in an organization without requiring per-account configuration.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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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