SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
Which TWO actions should a company take to implement a least-privilege access model across multiple AWS accounts? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse SCPs with IAM permissions policies, thinking SCPs grant access rather than acting as a deny-only guardrail, or they mistakenly believe long-term access keys or shared root credentials are acceptable for cross-account access when they are explicitly anti-patterns for least-privilege.
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 IAM roles in each account with cross-account trust from a central identity provider, granting only required permissions.
Using IAM roles with cross-account trust from a central identity provider (e.g., AWS IAM Identity Center or an external IdP) allows users to assume roles in each account with only the permissions required for their tasks. This eliminates the need for long-term credentials and enables centralized access management while adhering to least-privilege principles. Option B is correct because Service Control Policies (SCPs) are applied at the AWS Organizations level to deny high-risk actions across all accounts, providing a guardrail that enforces least-privilege by preventing even privileged users from performing dangerous operations.
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 IAM roles in each account with cross-account trust from a central identity provider, granting only required permissions.
Why this is correct
Roles allow temporary credentials with limited permissions.
- ✓
Apply SCPs to deny high-risk actions across all accounts.
Why this is correct
SCPs enforce boundaries.
- ✗
Generate long-term access keys for each user in the central account.
Why it's wrong here
Long-term keys are insecure and not least-privilege.
- ✗
Share the root user credentials of each account with the central team.
Why it's wrong here
Root user access is dangerous and not auditable.
- ✗
Create IAM users in each account with full administrator access for all users.
Why it's wrong here
Violates least-privilege.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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