- A
Enable AWS CloudTrail to log role assumptions and send alerts when external assumptions occur.
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs but does not prevent external assumptions.
- B
Use AWS Config to detect roles with external trust relationships and automatically delete them.
Why wrong: AWS Config can detect but not automatically delete roles; also, this is reactive, not preventive.
- C
Modify the trust policy of each IAM role to allow only principals from the organization.
Why wrong: This requires modifying each role individually and is not scalable.
- D
Attach a service control policy (SCP) that denies sts:AssumeRole if the aws:PrincipalOrgID condition is not set.
SCPs with aws:PrincipalOrgID condition can restrict role assumption to principals within the organization.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to attach a service control policy (SCP) that denies sts:AssumeRole unless the aws:PrincipalOrgID condition key is present. This works because SCPs act as a centralized guardrail across all accounts in an AWS Organization, preventing any IAM role from being assumed by a principal outside the organization, regardless of how individual account administrators configure their role trust policies. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of preventive controls versus detective controls, and the common trap is choosing a resource-based policy or an IAM policy that can be overridden by account admins. The key insight is that SCPs are the only mechanism that can enforce a deny across all member accounts without exception, making them ideal for preventing external role assumption across organization boundaries. Memory tip: think of SCPs as the "bouncer at the door" — they check the organization ID before anyone can assume a role, and no account admin can sneak around them.
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 uses AWS Organizations with multiple OUs. The security team wants to ensure that no IAM role in any member account can be assumed by a user from outside the organization. Which policy should be used?
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
Attach a service control policy (SCP) that denies sts:AssumeRole if the aws:PrincipalOrgID condition is not set.
Option D is correct because a service control policy (SCP) can centrally enforce that all IAM role trust policies in member accounts require the `aws:PrincipalOrgID` condition key. This condition ensures that only principals within the organization can assume roles, blocking any external user from assuming a role even if the role's trust policy is misconfigured. SCPs apply to all accounts in an OU or organization, providing a preventive control that cannot be overridden by account administrators.
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 CloudTrail to log role assumptions and send alerts when external assumptions occur.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs but does not prevent external assumptions.
- ✗
Use AWS Config to detect roles with external trust relationships and automatically delete them.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config can detect but not automatically delete roles; also, this is reactive, not preventive.
- ✗
Modify the trust policy of each IAM role to allow only principals from the organization.
Why it's wrong here
This requires modifying each role individually and is not scalable.
- ✓
Attach a service control policy (SCP) that denies sts:AssumeRole if the aws:PrincipalOrgID condition is not set.
Why this is correct
SCPs with aws:PrincipalOrgID condition can restrict role assumption to principals within 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 Option C (modifying trust policies) because it seems direct, but they overlook that SCPs provide a centralized, scalable, and preventive control that enforces the policy across all accounts without requiring per-role changes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `aws:PrincipalOrgID` condition key is a global condition that evaluates to the organization ID (e.g., `o-a1b2c3d4e5`) of the requesting principal's account. When used in an SCP with a Deny effect for `sts:AssumeRole`, it blocks any AssumeRole call where the principal's organization ID does not match the expected value. This works even if the role's trust policy explicitly allows external accounts, because SCPs act as a boundary control that overrides any allow in the resource-based policy. A subtle behavior is that the SCP must be attached to the root or OU containing the member accounts, and the condition must be set to deny if `aws:PrincipalOrgID` is missing or does not match the organization ID.
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 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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — study guide chapter
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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: Attach a service control policy (SCP) that denies sts:AssumeRole if the aws:PrincipalOrgID condition is not set. — Option D is correct because a service control policy (SCP) can centrally enforce that all IAM role trust policies in member accounts require the `aws:PrincipalOrgID` condition key. This condition ensures that only principals within the organization can assume roles, blocking any external user from assuming a role even if the role's trust policy is misconfigured. SCPs apply to all accounts in an OU or organization, providing a preventive control that cannot be overridden by account administrators.
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: Jun 24, 2026
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