- A
IAM roles with a trust policy that allows the external account.
Trust policies define who can assume the role.
- B
AWS Security Token Service (STS) to generate tokens.
Why wrong: STS generates temporary credentials but does not manage trust.
- C
IAM users in the source account with cross-account permissions.
Why wrong: IAM users are not used for cross-account role assumption.
- D
AWS Organizations service control policies.
Why wrong: SCPs restrict permissions but do not create trust.
Question 658 of 1,748
SCS-C02 Infrastructure Security Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. 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.
A company wants to allow a user to assume a role in another AWS account to access resources. Which AWS service should be used to create and manage the trust relationship between the accounts?
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
✓
IAM roles with a trust policy that allows the external account.
IAM roles with a trust policy that explicitly allows the external AWS account to assume the role is the correct mechanism for establishing a cross-account trust relationship. The trust policy defines which principal (the external account) is allowed to assume the role, and the permissions policy attached to the role controls what actions the assumed role can perform. This is the foundational AWS service for delegating access across accounts.
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.
- ✓
IAM roles with a trust policy that allows the external account.
Why this is correct
Trust policies define who can assume the role.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Security Token Service (STS) to generate tokens.
Why it's wrong here
STS generates temporary credentials but does not manage trust.
- ✗
IAM users in the source account with cross-account permissions.
Why it's wrong here
IAM users are not used for cross-account role assumption.
- ✗
AWS Organizations service control policies.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs restrict permissions but do not create trust.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the mechanism for establishing trust (IAM role trust policy) with the mechanism for obtaining credentials (STS), leading them to select STS as the answer despite it being a downstream step.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The trust policy is a JSON document attached to an IAM role that specifies the trusted entity (e.g., an external AWS account ARN) and conditions for assuming the role. When a user in the external account calls the STS AssumeRole API, AWS evaluates the trust policy to verify the requester's account is allowed, then returns temporary credentials scoped to the role's permissions policy. A common subtlety is that the trust policy must include the external account's root ARN or a specific IAM role ARN, and the external account must also grant its users permission to call sts:AssumeRole for that role.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: IAM roles with a trust policy that allows the external account. — IAM roles with a trust policy that explicitly allows the external AWS account to assume the role is the correct mechanism for establishing a cross-account trust relationship. The trust policy defines which principal (the external account) is allowed to assume the role, and the permissions policy attached to the role controls what actions the assumed role can perform. This is the foundational AWS service for delegating access across accounts.
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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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