SCS-C02 Identity and Access Management Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of identity and access management. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 uses AWS Organizations and wants to restrict all IAM users in member accounts from using the Amazon EC2 RunInstances API unless they have MFA. What is the most efficient way to enforce this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies ec2:RunInstances unless MFA is present, and attach it to the organization root or relevant OUs.
Option B is correct because a service control policy (SCP) can apply to all accounts in the organization and enforce the restriction centrally. Option A is wrong because it applies only to the organization root, not member accounts. Option C is wrong because it would require modifying each account individually. Option D is wrong because security groups do not control API calls.
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.
✗
Create an IAM policy in each member account and attach it to all IAM users.
Why it's wrong here
This is not efficient as it requires per-account configuration.
✗
Use a security group to block outbound traffic from EC2 instances unless MFA is used.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups control network traffic, not API calls.
✓
Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies ec2:RunInstances unless MFA is present, and attach it to the organization root or relevant OUs.
Why this is correct
SCPs can centrally enforce restrictions across all accounts in the organization.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Attach a policy to the root user of the master account.
Why it's wrong here
The root user is not used for daily operations and does not enforce restrictions on member accounts.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 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.
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Identity and Access Management — This question tests Identity and Access Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies ec2:RunInstances unless MFA is present, and attach it to the organization root or relevant OUs. — Option B is correct because a service control policy (SCP) can apply to all accounts in the organization and enforce the restriction centrally. Option A is wrong because it applies only to the organization root, not member accounts. Option C is wrong because it would require modifying each account individually. Option D is wrong because security groups do not control API calls.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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