The answer is to regularly review and remove unused IAM policies and to use IAM roles with temporary credentials for access. These two actions directly enforce least privilege IAM by eliminating standing permissions that are no longer needed and by replacing long-term access keys with time-limited, task-specific roles. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between user-level controls and account-level or overly permissive options; a common trap is selecting a service control policy (SCP), which applies to accounts or organizational units, not individual IAM users, or choosing full admin access which violates the principle outright. Remember that least privilege is about reducing attack surface—unused policies are risk, and temporary credentials limit blast radius. A useful memory tip: “Remove the old, role the new”—clean up stale policies and adopt roles for short-lived access.
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.
Which TWO actions can be taken to enforce the principle of least privilege for IAM users in an AWS account? (Choose two.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use IAM roles with temporary credentials for access
Option A reduces excessive permissions; Option E provides temporary permissions. Option B (full admin) violates least privilege. Option C (SCP) is for accounts, not users. Option D (root user) is too permissive.
Key principle: Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
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 IAM roles with temporary credentials for access
Why this is correct
Temporary credentials reduce risk of long-term keys.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Authentication checks who the user is.
✗
Grant full administrative access to all users to simplify management
Why it's wrong here
Full admin violates least privilege.
✗
Use service control policies (SCPs) to restrict user permissions
Why it's wrong here
SCPs restrict accounts, not individual users.
✗
Use the root user for daily administrative tasks
Why it's wrong here
Root user should not be used daily.
✓
Regularly review and remove unused IAM policies
Why this is correct
Removing unused policies reduces attack surface.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Authentication checks who the user is.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Authentication checks who the user is.
Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
→Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
→Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
→Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
Key takeaway
Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
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.
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related SCS-C02 questions on access control and AAA configuration.
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Authentication checks who the user is..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use IAM roles with temporary credentials for access — Option A reduces excessive permissions; Option E provides temporary permissions. Option B (full admin) violates least privilege. Option C (SCP) is for accounts, not users. Option D (root user) is too permissive.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related SCS-C02 questions on access control and AAA configuration.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Authentication checks who the user is.
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 →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO actions are valid ways to enforce the principle of least privilege in an AWS environment?
medium
A.Use the root user for daily administration
B.Use S3 bucket policies to allow all IAM users
✓ C.Grant only the necessary actions in IAM policies
✓ D.Use SCPs to deny actions that are not required
E.Assign the AdministratorAccess managed policy to all users
Why C: Options A and C are correct. Option A is correct because IAM policies should grant the minimum required permissions. Option C is correct because SCPs can restrict permissions across accounts. Option B is wrong because S3 bucket policies are resource-based and not a direct least privilege method for users. Option D is wrong because assigning full access is against least privilege. Option E is wrong because root user has unrestricted access.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
Question Discussion
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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.
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