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Infrastructure Security →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SCS-C02 Infrastructure Security Practice Question

This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. 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 Amazon S3 buckets in an AWS account have server-side encryption (SSE) enabled. The engineer wants to automatically remediate any bucket that is created without SSE. Which solution should the engineer implement?

A
Use S3 bucket policies to deny access to objects without encryption.
Why wrong: Bucket policies enforce encryption for access, not for bucket creation.
B
Apply an IAM policy that requires SSE for all S3 actions.
Why wrong: IAM policies cannot enforce encryption on bucket creation; they affect principals.
C
Use AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) and an automatic remediation action.
AWS Config can detect and automatically remediate non-compliant resources.
D
Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies creation of buckets without encryption.
Why wrong: SCPs can prevent creation but require proactive enforcement; they don't automatically remediate existing buckets.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Use AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) and an automatic remediation action.

The correct solution is to use AWS Config with the managed rule `s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled` and an automatic remediation action. AWS Config continuously evaluates S3 buckets against this rule and can trigger a remediation action (e.g., enabling default encryption) when a non-compliant bucket is created. Option A is incorrect because a bucket policy can deny access to objects without encryption but does not prevent creation of buckets without SSE. Option B is incorrect because an IAM policy can require SSE for actions performed by users, but it cannot enforce encryption on the bucket itself at creation time. Option D is incorrect because a service control policy (SCP) applies to all accounts in an organization but requires careful configuration and does not directly enable SSE on the bucket; it can only deny actions that do not include encryption parameters, which is more complex and less straightforward than the AWS Config remediation approach.

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 S3 bucket policies to deny access to objects without encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Bucket policies enforce encryption for access, not for bucket creation.
✗
Apply an IAM policy that requires SSE for all S3 actions.
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies cannot enforce encryption on bucket creation; they affect principals.
✓
Use AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) and an automatic remediation action.
Why this is correct
AWS Config can detect and automatically remediate non-compliant resources.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
✗
Create a service control policy (SCP) that denies creation of buckets without encryption.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs can prevent creation but require proactive enforcement; they don't automatically remediate existing buckets.

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.

Quick reference

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Storage Class	Min Duration	Retrieval	Use Case
S3 Standard	None	Immediate	Frequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA	30 days	Immediate	Infrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA	30 days	Immediate	Non-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-Tiering	None	Immediate–hours	Unknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant	90 days	Milliseconds	Archive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible	90 days	Minutes–hours	Archive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive	180 days	Hours	Long-term compliance archive

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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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SCS-C02 question test?

Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Standard ACLs match source addresses..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Use AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) and an automatic remediation action. — The correct solution is to use AWS Config with the managed rule `s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled` and an automatic remediation action. AWS Config continuously evaluates S3 buckets against this rule and can trigger a remediation action (e.g., enabling default encryption) when a non-compliant bucket is created. Option A is incorrect because a bucket policy can deny access to objects without encryption but does not prevent creation of buckets without SSE. Option B is incorrect because an IAM policy can require SSE for actions performed by users, but it cannot enforce encryption on the bucket itself at creation time. Option D is incorrect because a service control policy (SCP) applies to all accounts in an organization but requires careful configuration and does not directly enable SSE on the bucket; it can only deny actions that do not include encryption parameters, which is more complex and less straightforward than the AWS Config remediation approach.

What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Standard ACLs match source addresses.

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