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Management and Security Governance →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SCS-C02 Management and Security Governance Practice Question

This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of management and security governance. 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 company has a requirement that all Amazon EC2 instances must be launched with an IAM role that grants least-privilege permissions. The security team wants to prevent users from launching instances without a role, and also want to ensure that the role used is one of a set of approved roles. How can this be enforced?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A
Use an SCP to require that all EC2 instances have an IAM role attached.
Why wrong: SCPs can require a role but cannot restrict which role; users could attach any role.
B
Attach an IAM policy to users that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the ec2:InstanceProfile condition matches an approved profile ARN.
This policy condition ensures that only instances with an approved IAM role can be launched.
C
Use an SCP to deny ec2:RunInstances unless the instance profile is in a specific list of ARNs.
Why wrong: SCPs cannot use resource-level conditions like ec2:InstanceProfile; they operate at the API action level without resource ARN specificity.
D
Use AWS Config to detect instances without a role and automatically terminate them.
Why wrong: This is reactive, not preventive; also termination may cause data loss.

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

✓

Attach an IAM policy to users that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the ec2:InstanceProfile condition matches an approved profile ARN.

Using an IAM policy with a condition that checks the IAM instance profile ARN against a list of approved profiles will enforce both requirements. Option B is wrong because it only requires a role, not an approved one. Option C is wrong because AWS Config can detect but not prevent. Option D is wrong because SCPs cannot enforce specific instance profile ARNs because they apply at the account level and cannot reference resource-level conditions like ec2:InstanceProfile.

Key principle: Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.

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 an SCP to require that all EC2 instances have an IAM role attached.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs can require a role but cannot restrict which role; users could attach any role.
✓
Attach an IAM policy to users that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the ec2:InstanceProfile condition matches an approved profile ARN.
Why this is correct
This policy condition ensures that only instances with an approved IAM role can be launched.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Authentication checks who the user is.
✗
Use an SCP to deny ec2:RunInstances unless the instance profile is in a specific list of ARNs.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs cannot use resource-level conditions like ec2:InstanceProfile; they operate at the API action level without resource ARN specificity.
✗
Use AWS Config to detect instances without a role and automatically terminate them.
Why it's wrong here
This is reactive, not preventive; also termination may cause data loss.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization

Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Authentication checks who the user is.
Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.

TExam Day Tips

Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.

Key takeaway

Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related SCS-C02 questions on access control and AAA configuration.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SCS-C02 question test?

Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Authentication checks who the user is..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Attach an IAM policy to users that denies ec2:RunInstances unless the ec2:InstanceProfile condition matches an approved profile ARN. — Using an IAM policy with a condition that checks the IAM instance profile ARN against a list of approved profiles will enforce both requirements. Option B is wrong because it only requires a role, not an approved one. Option C is wrong because AWS Config can detect but not prevent. Option D is wrong because SCPs cannot enforce specific instance profile ARNs because they apply at the account level and cannot reference resource-level conditions like ec2:InstanceProfile.

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

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Authentication checks who the user is.

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This SCS-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 SCS-C02 exam.