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.
Refer to the exhibit. A security engineer is reviewing this IAM policy attached to a user. The user reports that they are able to stop and start instances, but they cannot terminate instances. However, the engineer notices that there is no explicit deny for termination. Why is the user unable to terminate instances?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy does not include an explicit Allow for ec2:TerminateInstances.
Option B is correct. The policy only allows specific actions. Since there is no 'ec2:TerminateInstances' action allowed, the user is implicitly denied the ability to terminate instances. AWS IAM defaults to implicit deny, so an explicit allow is required. Option A is incorrect because the resource in the first statement is 'instance/*' which covers termination if allowed. Option C is incorrect because termination is a separate action not included. Option D is incorrect because the policy is valid JSON and would be evaluated.
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.
✓
The policy does not include an explicit Allow for ec2:TerminateInstances.
Why this is correct
Without an explicit Allow, the action is implicitly denied.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
The second statement's Resource is set to '*' but the Action list does not include termination.
Why it's wrong here
The second statement allows Describe actions only, not termination.
✗
The first statement's Resource element is too restrictive and does not include the termination API call.
Why it's wrong here
The Resource element specifies instance ARN, which is correct. The issue is missing action.
✗
The policy has a syntax error that prevents termination from being evaluated.
Why it's wrong here
The policy is syntactically correct.
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 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 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.
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The policy does not include an explicit Allow for ec2:TerminateInstances. — Option B is correct. The policy only allows specific actions. Since there is no 'ec2:TerminateInstances' action allowed, the user is implicitly denied the ability to terminate instances. AWS IAM defaults to implicit deny, so an explicit allow is required. Option A is incorrect because the resource in the first statement is 'instance/*' which covers termination if allowed. Option C is incorrect because termination is a separate action not included. Option D is incorrect because the policy is valid JSON and would be evaluated.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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