Quick Answer
The answer is a service control policy (SCP). SCPs are the correct choice because they operate at the AWS Organizations level, allowing you to centrally restrict EC2 instance types across all member accounts by defining a deny effect for unauthorized instance families, such as preventing the launch of expensive GPU instances. Unlike IAM policies, which are account-specific and can be overridden by local administrators, SCPs set a hard boundary that cannot be bypassed by any user or role within the account, making them ideal for enforcing mandatory compliance rules. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding of governance boundaries versus identity-based permissions; a common trap is confusing SCPs with IAM policies, but remember that SCPs are like a global firewall for actions, while IAM policies are fine-grained permissions within that firewall. A helpful memory tip: SCP stands for “Service Control Policy,” and you can think of it as “Supreme Control Policy” because it sits above all IAM policies in the authorization chain.
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.
An organization uses AWS Organizations and wants to restrict the use of specific EC2 instance types across all member accounts. Which policy type should be used to enforce this restriction?
Resource-based policy
Why wrong: Resource-based policies are per-resource.
IAM policy
Why wrong: IAM policies are not enforced across accounts.
Service control policy (SCP)
SCPs can be attached to OUs to restrict services across accounts.
AWS CloudFormation policy
Why wrong: CloudFormation is for infrastructure as code, not policy enforcement.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Service control policy (SCP)
Option A is correct because SCPs can deny actions at the account level. Option B is wrong because IAM policies are account-specific and can be overridden. Option C is wrong because resource-based policies are for specific resources. Option D is wrong because it is not a policy type.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Resource-based policy
Why it's wrong here
Resource-based policies are per-resource.
IAM policy
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies are not enforced across accounts.
Service control policy (SCP)
Why this is correct
SCPs can be attached to OUs to restrict services across accounts.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
AWS CloudFormation policy
Why it's wrong here
CloudFormation is for infrastructure as code, not policy enforcement.
Common exam traps
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Real-world example
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
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SCS-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Management and Security Governance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Management and Security Governance practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All SCS-C02 questions
1,738 questions across all exam domains
AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
SCS-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Threat Detection and Incident Response.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Security Logging and Monitoring.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Identity and Access Management.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Management and Security Governance.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Infrastructure Security.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to Data Protection.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 fundamentals.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 scenario.
Practise SCS-C02 questions linked to SCS-C02 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
The correct answer is: Service control policy (SCP) — Option A is correct because SCPs can deny actions at the account level. Option B is wrong because IAM policies are account-specific and can be overridden. Option C is wrong because resource-based policies are for specific resources. Option D is wrong because it is not a policy type.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SCS-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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 →
Keep practising
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.