- A
Service control policies (SCPs)
SCPs can restrict instance types across all accounts.
- B
IAM policies
Why wrong: IAM policies are account-specific.
- C
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Flow logs monitor network traffic.
- D
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls.
- E
AWS Config rules
Config rules can evaluate and enforce compliance across accounts.
Question 1,646 of 1,748
Enforcing Instance Type Restrictions with SCPs and AWS Config
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 is using AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team wants to restrict the use of specific instance types across all accounts. Which two AWS services can enforce this restriction? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
Service control policies (SCPs)
Service control policies (SCPs) are a feature of AWS Organizations that allow you to centrally control the maximum available permissions for all accounts in your organization. By creating an SCP that denies the launch of specific instance types (e.g., using a Deny effect with a condition like ec2:InstanceType), you can enforce this restriction across all member accounts, even preventing actions by account administrators. AWS Config rules can evaluate the configuration of resources against desired policies; a managed rule like `ec2-instance-type-allowed` can be used to detect and flag non-compliant instances, and combined with auto-remediation actions (e.g., AWS Systems Manager Automation), it can enforce the restriction by terminating or stopping non-compliant instances.
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.
- ✓
Service control policies (SCPs)
Why this is correct
SCPs can restrict instance types across all accounts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
IAM policies
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies are account-specific.
- ✗
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Flow logs monitor network traffic.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls.
- ✓
AWS Config rules
Why this is correct
Config rules can evaluate and enforce compliance across accounts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse IAM policies with SCPs, thinking IAM policies can be applied across an organization, but IAM policies are account-scoped and cannot restrict the root user, whereas SCPs are organization-wide and can deny actions even to the root user of member accounts.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs work by filtering the permissions that are available to IAM users and roles in the member accounts; they do not grant permissions themselves but act as a guardrail by setting a maximum permission boundary. When an SCP denies an action, it cannot be overridden by any IAM policy, including those attached to the root user, making it a true hard enforcement mechanism. AWS Config rules evaluate resources based on a desired configuration state; for instance type restrictions, the `ec2-instance-type-allowed` rule can be configured with a list of allowed types, and any non-compliant instance can trigger an automatic remediation via an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that stops or terminates the instance, providing a detective and corrective enforcement approach.
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.
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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: Service control policies (SCPs) — Service control policies (SCPs) are a feature of AWS Organizations that allow you to centrally control the maximum available permissions for all accounts in your organization. By creating an SCP that denies the launch of specific instance types (e.g., using a Deny effect with a condition like ec2:InstanceType), you can enforce this restriction across all member accounts, even preventing actions by account administrators. AWS Config rules can evaluate the configuration of resources against desired policies; a managed rule like `ec2-instance-type-allowed` can be used to detect and flag non-compliant instances, and combined with auto-remediation actions (e.g., AWS Systems Manager Automation), it can enforce the restriction by terminating or stopping non-compliant instances.
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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