Using SCPs to Restrict EC2 Launches to Specific Regions
A company wants to centralize access control for multiple AWS accounts using AWS Organizations. They need to allow developers in a specific account to launch EC2 instances only in certain regions. What is the most scalable solution?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates choose detective solutions like AWS Config (Option B) or per-account IAM policies (Options A and D) because they are familiar, but they miss that SCPs provide a centralized, preventive, and scalable control that applies to all principals, including the root user.
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
✓
Use an SCP attached to the organizational unit to deny EC2 actions in non-compliant regions.
Service control policies (SCPs) in AWS Organizations allow you to centrally define the maximum permissions for all accounts in an organizational unit (OU). By attaching an SCP that denies EC2 actions in non-compliant regions, you enforce the restriction across multiple accounts without needing to manage individual IAM policies or roles, making it the most scalable solution.
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 an IAM role in each account with a policy to deny non-compliant regions.
Why it's wrong here
Per-account IAM roles duplicate policy across every account and are not enforced against the account's root user, so central governance is lost. It is tempting because IAM policies are the familiar access-control tool, and it would be correct for granting cross-account permissions within a single account's boundary.
- ✗
Use AWS Config rules to detect and terminate instances in non-compliant regions.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config rules evaluate resources after creation and remediation terminates instances reactively, so non-compliant capacity briefly runs and developers are not prevented. It is tempting because Config gives organisation-wide compliance visibility, and it would be correct for detecting and reporting drift rather than preventing it.
- ✓
Use an SCP attached to the organizational unit to deny EC2 actions in non-compliant regions.
Why this is correct
SCPs set the maximum permissions for every principal in an organisational unit, so one deny on EC2 actions outside approved regions applies automatically to all current and future accounts in that OU. This satisfies the centralised, scalable control requirement without per-account IAM edits.
- ✗
Create an IAM policy in each account to deny non-compliant regions.
Why it's wrong here
Per-account IAM policies must be created and maintained in every account, so new accounts and policy changes need manual replication, defeating AWS Organizations' centralised management. An SCP applied at the organisation or OU level enforces the region restriction once across all accounts. IAM policies are for identity permissions within an account, not organisation-wide guardrails.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.