← SAP-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 148 of 1,746

Design for New Solutions →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to combine SCPs that deny unencrypted PUT operations and block public access with a resource-based policy on the S3 service. This is correct because SCPs act as preventive guardrails at the account level, denying any s3:PutObject that lacks the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws:kms header, while a second SCP denies s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock unless a specific condition key is met, and a centralized S3 resource policy blocks all public access across the organization. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that SCPs cannot directly enforce encryption on resources—they only control API permissions—so you must pair them with service-level policies for comprehensive enforcement. A common trap is choosing AWS Config rules, which are detective and require remediation, not preventive. Memory tip: SCPs are the gatekeeper, S3 policies are the lock—together they enforce S3 encryption and block public access proactively.

SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question

This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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 financial services company is designing a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. They need to enforce that all newly created S3 buckets in any account have server-side encryption enabled using AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) with a customer managed key. Additionally, they want to prevent any S3 bucket from being publicly accessible. What is the MOST efficient and comprehensive way to enforce these policies?

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A
Use a service control policy (SCP) to deny the s3:PutBucketAcl action that grants public access, and rely on bucket policies to enforce encryption.
Why wrong: Bucket policies are account-specific and may not be enforced across all accounts; also does not address encryption.
B
Use AWS Config rules with automatic remediation to enable encryption and block public access on any non-compliant bucket.
Why wrong: Config rules are detective, not preventive; non-compliant buckets may exist temporarily.
C
Create an SCP that denies s3:PutObject without the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws:kms header, and another SCP that denies s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock with a condition key. Also, use a resource-based policy on the S3 service to block public access.
SCPs can deny actions based on conditions, and resource policies can prevent public access proactively.
D
Create an SCP that denies the s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock action and attach it to the root OU.
Why wrong: SCPs cannot enforce encryption settings; they only control actions.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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 an SCP that denies s3:PutObject without the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws:kms header, and another SCP that denies s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock with a condition key. Also, use a resource-based policy on the S3 service to block public access.

Option C is correct because SCPs and resource-based policies can be combined to enforce encryption and prevent public access across all accounts. Option A is wrong because SCPs cannot enforce encryption on resources directly; they only control permissions. Option B is wrong because Config rules require remediation steps and are not preventive. Option D is wrong because it misses public access prevention.

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 a service control policy (SCP) to deny the s3:PutBucketAcl action that grants public access, and rely on bucket policies to enforce encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Bucket policies are account-specific and may not be enforced across all accounts; also does not address encryption.
✗
Use AWS Config rules with automatic remediation to enable encryption and block public access on any non-compliant bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Config rules are detective, not preventive; non-compliant buckets may exist temporarily.
✓
Create an SCP that denies s3:PutObject without the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws:kms header, and another SCP that denies s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock with a condition key. Also, use a resource-based policy on the S3 service to block public access.
Why this is correct
SCPs can deny actions based on conditions, and resource policies can prevent public access proactively.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
✗
Create an SCP that denies the s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock action and attach it to the root OU.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs cannot enforce encryption settings; they only control actions.

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.

Related SAP-C02 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity practice questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity.

Design for New Solutions practice questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Design for New Solutions.

Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions practice questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions.

Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization practice questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization.

SAA-C03 VPC practice questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC.

SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 S3 lifecycle policy questions.

SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 RDS Multi-AZ questions.

SAA-C03 IAM policy practice questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 IAM policy.

SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 Route 53 failover questions.

SAA-C03 CloudFront practice questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 CloudFront.

SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 NAT gateway questions.

SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions

Practise SAP-C02 questions linked to SAA-C03 VPC endpoint questions.

Practice this exam

Start a free SAP-C02 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

SAP-C02 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SAP-C02 question test?

Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Standard ACLs match source addresses..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Create an SCP that denies s3:PutObject without the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws:kms header, and another SCP that denies s3:PutBucketPublicAccessBlock with a condition key. Also, use a resource-based policy on the S3 service to block public access. — Option C is correct because SCPs and resource-based policies can be combined to enforce encryption and prevent public access across all accounts. Option A is wrong because SCPs cannot enforce encryption on resources directly; they only control permissions. Option B is wrong because Config rules require remediation steps and are not preventive. Option D is wrong because it misses public access prevention.

What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Standard ACLs match source addresses.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

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 is designing a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team requires that all Amazon S3 buckets across accounts must have server access logging enabled and must block public access. What is the MOST scalable and secure way to enforce these requirements?

hard

A.Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy S3 buckets with logging and public access blocks
✓ B.Apply service control policies (SCPs) at the organizational unit (OU) level to deny actions that disable logging or enable public access
C.Create IAM roles in each account with policies that require logging and block public access
D.Use AWS Config rules to detect non-compliant buckets and send notifications

Why B: Option C is correct because SCPs can be applied at the OU level to deny actions that disable logging or allow public access, enforcing compliance across all accounts. Option A is incorrect because IAM roles in each account are not scalable for enforcement. Option B is incorrect because CloudFormation StackSets can deploy resources but cannot prevent non-compliant actions. Option D is incorrect because Config rules only detect non-compliance, not enforce.

Keep practising

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

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.