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 security engineer needs to ensure that all EC2 instances launched in an account have a specific tag (e.g., CostCenter) applied. If an instance is launched without the tag, it should be automatically terminated. Which solution meets these requirements with minimal effort?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS Config rules with an automatic remediation action that invokes a Lambda function to terminate the instance.
Option D is correct because AWS Config rules can detect untagged instances and trigger a Lambda function to terminate them. Option A is wrong because SCPs cannot enforce tagging on EC2 instances. Option B is wrong because Tag Policies only enforce tagging on resources that support tags, but they do not auto-remediate. Option C is wrong because CloudTrail can detect launch events but cannot automatically terminate instances.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 deny ec2:RunInstances if the request does not include the required tag.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs can deny API calls, but tagging conditions are complex and may not catch all cases.
✗
Use AWS Organizations Tag Policies to enforce the tag.
Why it's wrong here
Tag Policies enforce tags on resources that support them, but they do not auto-terminate noncompliant resources.
✓
Use AWS Config rules with an automatic remediation action that invokes a Lambda function to terminate the instance.
Why this is correct
Config can detect untagged instances and auto-remediate by terminating them.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Use AWS CloudTrail to detect RunInstances events and send alerts to the security team.
Why it's wrong here
Alerts require manual action.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SCS-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS Config rules with an automatic remediation action that invokes a Lambda function to terminate the instance. — Option D is correct because AWS Config rules can detect untagged instances and trigger a Lambda function to terminate them. Option A is wrong because SCPs cannot enforce tagging on EC2 instances. Option B is wrong because Tag Policies only enforce tagging on resources that support tags, but they do not auto-remediate. Option C is wrong because CloudTrail can detect launch events but cannot automatically terminate instances.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SCS-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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