The correct answer is to use an SCP to deny disabling CloudTrail and use CloudFormation StackSets to deploy CloudTrail in all accounts. This combination works because the Service Control Policy (SCP) acts as a guardrail at the AWS Organizations level, preventing any member account from turning off CloudTrail or modifying its configuration, while CloudFormation StackSets automate the deployment of a standardized CloudTrail trail across every account, ensuring logs are delivered to a central S3 bucket in the management account. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of preventive versus detective controls—SCPs are preventive, whereas AWS Config rules are only detective and cannot block disabling actions. A common trap is choosing Config rules alone, but they only alert you after a change has been made. Memory tip: think of SCPs as the “lock” that prevents tampering, and StackSets as the “key” that deploys the solution everywhere at once.
SCS-C02 Management and Security Governance Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of management and security governance. 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's Security team is using AWS Organizations with a consolidated billing account. The security team wants to ensure that all member accounts have AWS CloudTrail enabled and that logs are delivered to a central S3 bucket in the management account. Which combination of actions should the security team take? (Choose the best answer.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use an SCP to deny disabling CloudTrail and use CloudFormation StackSets to deploy CloudTrail in all accounts.
Option C is correct because using an SCP to deny disabling CloudTrail and a CloudFormation StackSet to deploy CloudTrail in each account ensures enforcement and deployment. Option A is wrong because relying on individual account owners is not automated. Option B is wrong because enabling CloudTrail only in the management account does not cover member accounts. Option D is wrong because Config rules do not prevent disabling of CloudTrail.
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 AWS Config rules to detect when CloudTrail is disabled.
Why it's wrong here
Config rules only detect, not prevent.
✗
Create a new IAM policy that requires each account owner to enable CloudTrail.
Why it's wrong here
This is not enforced automatically.
✗
Enable CloudTrail in the management account only and use cross-account logging.
Why it's wrong here
Does not cover member accounts.
✓
Use an SCP to deny disabling CloudTrail and use CloudFormation StackSets to deploy CloudTrail in all accounts.
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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 an SCP to deny disabling CloudTrail and use CloudFormation StackSets to deploy CloudTrail in all accounts. — Option C is correct because using an SCP to deny disabling CloudTrail and a CloudFormation StackSet to deploy CloudTrail in each account ensures enforcement and deployment. Option A is wrong because relying on individual account owners is not automated. Option B is wrong because enabling CloudTrail only in the management account does not cover member accounts. Option D is wrong because Config rules do not prevent disabling of CloudTrail.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.