- A
Create IAM policies in each account to enforce encryption
Why wrong: IAM policies are per-account and cannot be centrally enforced across all accounts.
- B
Attach a service control policy (SCP) to the root that denies S3 actions unless encryption conditions are met
SCPs can centrally deny operations that do not meet encryption requirements across all accounts in the organization.
- C
Use AWS Config rules with auto-remediation in each account
Why wrong: Config rules can detect non-compliance but auto-remediation may not cover all scenarios and requires per-account setup.
- D
Deploy a CloudFormation StackSet that creates S3 buckets with encryption
Why wrong: StackSets can create compliant buckets but cannot enforce existing buckets or prevent non-compliant creation.
Quick Answer
The answer is to attach a service control policy (SCP) to the root that denies S3 actions unless encryption conditions are met. This is correct because SCPs operate at the organization level, allowing you to centrally enforce S3 bucket encryption with a specific KMS key across all accounts, effectively blocking any S3 PutBucketEncryption or PutObject calls that do not match the required key ARN. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of preventive versus detective controls—a common trap is confusing AWS Config (detective) with SCPs (preventive). Remember that SCPs are the only way to enforce a policy across an entire organization without relying on individual account configurations. A useful memory tip: “SCP to stop, Config to cop”—SCPs prevent the violation, while Config only reports it.
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 multinational corporation is deploying a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team requires that all S3 buckets across all accounts be encrypted with a specific AWS KMS key managed by the security account. Which solution should the company implement to enforce this policy across the organization?
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) to the root that denies S3 actions unless encryption conditions are met
Option D is correct because SCPs can be used to deny S3 bucket creation or modification if encryption is not set to the required KMS key. Option A is wrong because IAM policies in individual accounts cannot be enforced across accounts. Option B is wrong because AWS Config rules can detect but not enforce. Option C is wrong because CloudFormation StackSets can deploy resources but cannot enforce existing buckets.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 IAM policies in each account to enforce encryption
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies are per-account and cannot be centrally enforced across all accounts.
- ✓
Attach a service control policy (SCP) to the root that denies S3 actions unless encryption conditions are met
Why this is correct
SCPs can centrally deny operations that do not meet encryption requirements across all accounts in the organization.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✗
Use AWS Config rules with auto-remediation in each account
Why it's wrong here
Config rules can detect non-compliance but auto-remediation may not cover all scenarios and requires per-account setup.
- ✗
Deploy a CloudFormation StackSet that creates S3 buckets with encryption
Why it's wrong here
StackSets can create compliant buckets but cannot enforce existing buckets or prevent non-compliant creation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Config rules can detect non-compliance but auto-remediation may not cover all scenarios and requires per-account setup.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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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 — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Attach a service control policy (SCP) to the root that denies S3 actions unless encryption conditions are met — Option D is correct because SCPs can be used to deny S3 bucket creation or modification if encryption is not set to the required KMS key. Option A is wrong because IAM policies in individual accounts cannot be enforced across accounts. Option B is wrong because AWS Config rules can detect but not enforce. Option C is wrong because CloudFormation StackSets can deploy resources but cannot enforce existing buckets.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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