SCS-C03 Security Foundations and Governance Practice Question
An organization wants to enforce encryption at rest for all S3 buckets using AWS Organizations. Which TWO actions should the security team perform to ensure consistent governance?
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 if x-amz-server-side-encryption is not present.
Using Service Control Policies (SCPs) allows for the enforcement of security guardrails across an entire organization. By denying the 'PutObject' operation if encryption headers are missing, and creating an SCP to restrict 'CreateBucket' unless encryption is specified, the organization ensures that all new and existing data remains encrypted. This proactive governance approach prevents developers from accidentally launching non-compliant storage resources, effectively maintaining a secure infrastructure footprint.
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 SCP that denies s3:PutObject if x-amz-server-side-encryption is not present.
Why this is correct
This SCP effectively prevents any user or service from uploading data to S3 without specifying server-side encryption. By denying the write action at the account boundary level, you ensure that even if a bucket policy is missing, the data cannot be stored in an unencrypted state.
- ✗
Enable S3 Block Public Access on all accounts via AWS Organizations.
Why it's wrong here
While enabling S3 Block Public Access is a critical security best practice, it does not enforce encryption at rest. This configuration prevents data leaks to the public internet but does not influence or mandate the encryption status of the objects stored within the S3 buckets.
- ✓
Deploy an SCP that denies s3:CreateBucket unless the request includes default encryption configuration.
Why this is correct
This policy ensures that developers cannot create buckets that lack encryption settings at the time of creation. By controlling the creation process, the security team enforces a 'secure by default' posture across the entire organization, preventing non-compliant infrastructure from ever existing within the environment.
- ✗
Use AWS Trusted Advisor to manually audit all buckets for encryption status.
Why it's wrong here
Manual auditing via Trusted Advisor is a reactive measure and does not provide enforcement or governance. While it identifies buckets that are currently unencrypted, it does not prevent future occurrences, making it insufficient for an organization-wide mandate requiring strict, automated compliance for all data stored.
- ✗
Apply a bucket policy to every S3 bucket in the account.
Why it's wrong here
Applying individual bucket policies is operationally expensive and prone to human error, especially in large environments. Governance should be applied at the organizational level using SCPs rather than managing individual resource policies, which can be modified or deleted by users with sufficient IAM permissions.
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 |
About these practice questions
One of 99 original SCS-C03 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SCS-C03 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 SCS-C03 exam.