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.
An IAM policy includes the following condition: "StringNotEquals": {"aws:SourceArn": "arn:aws:ec2:us-east-1:123456789012:instance/*"}. What is the effect of this condition when attached to an IAM role?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Denies requests that do not originate from an EC2 instance in the specified account and region
The condition uses `StringNotEquals` with `aws:SourceArn`, meaning it denies access when the source ARN does NOT match the specified pattern. Since the condition is attached to a role's trust policy, it restricts which principals can assume the role. The correct effect is that requests not originating from an EC2 instance in account 123456789012 and region us-east-1 are denied.
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.
✗
Denies all requests from EC2 instances
Why it's wrong here
It denies only if the source ARN does not match; matching sources are allowed.
✗
Allows the role to be assumed only by EC2 instances in the specified account and region
Why it's wrong here
StringNotEquals denies when the value does not match; so it denies non-matching sources, not allows.
✓
Denies requests that do not originate from an EC2 instance in the specified account and region
Why this is correct
Correct interpretation: Denies if SourceArn is not equal to the given ARN pattern.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Allows any request that comes from an EC2 instance regardless of account
Why it's wrong here
The condition restricts to a specific account and region.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse `StringNotEquals` with `StringEquals`, mistakenly thinking the condition allows only matching ARNs instead of denying non-matching ones, leading them to choose Option B.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In IAM role trust policies, the `aws:SourceArn` condition key is evaluated against the ARN of the principal making the `sts:AssumeRole` request. The `StringNotEquals` operator triggers a deny when the source ARN does not match the specified pattern, which is a common pattern for cross-account access control. A subtle behavior is that `aws:SourceArn` is only available for services that support it (e.g., EC2, Lambda), and using it with `StringNotEquals` can inadvertently deny legitimate requests if the source ARN is not provided by the service.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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: Denies requests that do not originate from an EC2 instance in the specified account and region — The condition uses `StringNotEquals` with `aws:SourceArn`, meaning it denies access when the source ARN does NOT match the specified pattern. Since the condition is attached to a role's trust policy, it restricts which principals can assume the role. The correct effect is that requests not originating from an EC2 instance in account 123456789012 and region us-east-1 are denied.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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