- A
Create an SCP that enables CloudTrail and enforces log delivery to the centralized S3 bucket.
Why wrong: Incorrect: SCPs only control permissions, they cannot enable services or create resources.
- B
Use AWS Trusted Advisor to check CloudTrail status and send alerts to the security team.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Trusted Advisor only provides recommendations, not enforcement.
- C
Create an SCP that denies actions to disable CloudTrail and modify the S3 bucket policy. Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail trail in each account.
Correct: StackSets automate deployment of CloudTrail across accounts, and SCP prevents disabling.
- D
Use AWS Config rules with auto-remediation to enable CloudTrail in each account.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Config rules can detect but auto-remediation using Lambda may have delays and overhead.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail trail in every account, combined with a service control policy (SCP) that denies actions to disable CloudTrail or modify the centralized S3 bucket policy. This works because StackSets proactively deploy the trail across all existing and new accounts in the organization, while the SCP acts as a guardrail to prevent tampering—SCPs cannot enable services, only deny or allow actions, so the StackSet handles the actual enablement. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the separation between preventive controls (SCPs) and proactive deployment (StackSets), with a common trap being to assume SCPs alone can enable CloudTrail. Remember the memory tip: “StackSets to set it, SCPs to protect it.”
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 wants to ensure that all newly created accounts automatically have AWS CloudTrail enabled, with logs delivered to a centralized S3 bucket. Which solution meets these requirements with the least operational overhead?
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.
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 actions to disable CloudTrail and modify the S3 bucket policy. Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail trail in each account.
Option A is correct because SCPs can be used to prevent disabling CloudTrail and to enforce delivery to a specific bucket, but enabling it requires a proactive mechanism like AWS Config rules with auto-remediation or a custom resource. However, the best approach is to use CloudFormation StackSets or AWS Control Tower, but since Control Tower is not listed, the correct answer is using an SCP to prevent disabling and a CloudFormation StackSet to enable it. Actually, the simplest is to use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail trail across all accounts. Option B is wrong because Lambda functions need to be triggered by something. Option C is wrong because SCPs cannot enable services, only deny. Option D is wrong because Trusted Advisor does not enforce configurations.
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.
- ✗
Create an SCP that enables CloudTrail and enforces log delivery to the centralized S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: SCPs only control permissions, they cannot enable services or create resources.
- ✗
Use AWS Trusted Advisor to check CloudTrail status and send alerts to the security team.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Trusted Advisor only provides recommendations, not enforcement.
- ✓
Create an SCP that denies actions to disable CloudTrail and modify the S3 bucket policy. Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail trail in each account.
Why this is correct
Correct: StackSets automate deployment of CloudTrail across accounts, and SCP prevents disabling.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
- ✗
Use AWS Config rules with auto-remediation to enable CloudTrail in each account.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Config rules can detect but auto-remediation using Lambda may have delays and overhead.
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.
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Management and Security Governance — study guide chapter
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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 — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an SCP that denies actions to disable CloudTrail and modify the S3 bucket policy. Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail trail in each account. — Option A is correct because SCPs can be used to prevent disabling CloudTrail and to enforce delivery to a specific bucket, but enabling it requires a proactive mechanism like AWS Config rules with auto-remediation or a custom resource. However, the best approach is to use CloudFormation StackSets or AWS Control Tower, but since Control Tower is not listed, the correct answer is using an SCP to prevent disabling and a CloudFormation StackSet to enable it. Actually, the simplest is to use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a CloudTrail trail across all accounts. Option B is wrong because Lambda functions need to be triggered by something. Option C is wrong because SCPs cannot enable services, only deny. Option D is wrong because Trusted Advisor does not enforce configurations.
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.
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?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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