- A
Review the SCPs attached to the organization root; there might be a policy that denies CloudTrail actions.
Why wrong: SCPs do not affect CloudTrail's ability to write to S3.
- B
Check the S3 bucket policy in the logging account to ensure it grants the required permissions to the CloudTrail service principal from all accounts.
If the bucket policy inadvertently denies access, CloudTrail cannot write logs.
- C
Ensure that the KMS key used for encryption is accessible by the CloudTrail service.
Why wrong: CloudTrail does not require customer-managed KMS keys for delivery to S3.
- D
Enable AWS Config to monitor CloudTrail delivery status and automatically restart the trail if logs are missing.
Why wrong: AWS Config can monitor but not restart trails; the issue is likely a bucket policy.
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 large e-commerce company uses a multi-account AWS Organizations setup with a central logging account. The company has enabled AWS CloudTrail in all accounts and configured it to deliver logs to a centralized Amazon S3 bucket in the logging account. Recently, the security team noticed that some log files are missing for a period of 2 hours. The CloudTrail console shows that trails are still enabled and delivering to the bucket, but no new log files were created during that time. The team verified that there were API calls made during that period. Which action is most likely to resolve the issue and prevent recurrence?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
Check the S3 bucket policy in the logging account to ensure it grants the required permissions to the CloudTrail service principal from all accounts.
The most likely cause is that the S3 bucket policy in the central logging account does not grant the necessary permissions for CloudTrail from all accounts to write log files. Even though trails are enabled and appear to be delivering, a missing or misconfigured bucket policy can silently drop log deliveries when the CloudTrail service principal (cloudtrail.amazonaws.com) attempts to write objects. The security team verified API calls occurred, so the issue is at the delivery destination, not the trail configuration itself.
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.
- ✗
Review the SCPs attached to the organization root; there might be a policy that denies CloudTrail actions.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs do not affect CloudTrail's ability to write to S3.
- ✓
Check the S3 bucket policy in the logging account to ensure it grants the required permissions to the CloudTrail service principal from all accounts.
Why this is correct
If the bucket policy inadvertently denies access, CloudTrail cannot write logs.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Ensure that the KMS key used for encryption is accessible by the CloudTrail service.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail does not require customer-managed KMS keys for delivery to S3.
- ✗
Enable AWS Config to monitor CloudTrail delivery status and automatically restart the trail if logs are missing.
Why it's wrong here
AWS Config can monitor but not restart trails; the issue is likely a bucket policy.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume missing logs are always due to trail misconfiguration or KMS issues, but the real cause is often a missing or overly restrictive S3 bucket policy that silently blocks CloudTrail writes without generating an obvious error in the CloudTrail console.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudTrail uses the service principal `cloudtrail.amazonaws.com` to write logs to the S3 bucket, and the bucket policy must include an explicit `Allow` effect with `Action: 's3:PutObject'` and a `Condition` block that restricts access to the correct source accounts and organizational IDs. Without this, CloudTrail may silently fail to deliver logs for periods when the service principal’s request is denied, especially after bucket policy updates or cross-account permission changes. The 2-hour gap could correspond to a temporary policy misconfiguration or a change that was later reverted.
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 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.
Visual reference
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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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: Check the S3 bucket policy in the logging account to ensure it grants the required permissions to the CloudTrail service principal from all accounts. — The most likely cause is that the S3 bucket policy in the central logging account does not grant the necessary permissions for CloudTrail from all accounts to write log files. Even though trails are enabled and appear to be delivering, a missing or misconfigured bucket policy can silently drop log deliveries when the CloudTrail service principal (cloudtrail.amazonaws.com) attempts to write objects. The security team verified API calls occurred, so the issue is at the delivery destination, not the trail configuration itself.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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