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 uses AWS Organizations with multiple accounts. The security team needs to ensure that all S3 buckets across the organization are encrypted with AWS KMS keys. What is the MOST effective way to enforce this requirement?
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 any S3 bucket creation or modification without encryption enabled.
Option A is correct because SCPs can be applied to the root OU to deny any S3 bucket creation or modification that does not have encryption configured. Option B is wrong because IAM roles operate within accounts and cannot enforce across accounts in the organization. Option C is wrong because Config rules can detect noncompliant buckets but do not prevent their creation. Option D is wrong because CloudTrail is for logging and does not enforce encryption.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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 AWS CloudTrail to log all bucket creation events and alert the security team.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail only logs, does not enforce.
✗
Create an IAM role in each account that denies s3:PutBucketEncryption if encryption is not set.
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles are per-account and cannot enforce organization-wide.
✗
Use AWS Config rules to detect unencrypted buckets and trigger a Lambda function to encrypt them.
Why it's wrong here
Config is detective, not preventive.
✓
Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies any S3 bucket creation or modification without encryption enabled.
Why this is correct
SCPs can be applied to OUs to enforce encryption across all accounts.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
The first matching ACL entry is used.
There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
→Check inbound versus outbound direction.
→Read the ACL from top to bottom.
→Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SCS-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies any S3 bucket creation or modification without encryption enabled. — Option A is correct because SCPs can be applied to the root OU to deny any S3 bucket creation or modification that does not have encryption configured. Option B is wrong because IAM roles operate within accounts and cannot enforce across accounts in the organization. Option C is wrong because Config rules can detect noncompliant buckets but do not prevent their creation. Option D is wrong because CloudTrail is for logging and does not enforce encryption.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SCS-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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Question Discussion
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