Quick Answer
The correct answer is service control policies (SCPs). SCPs are the appropriate policy type to restrict services with SCP in AWS Organizations because they act as a centralized guardrail, setting maximum permissions for all accounts within an organizational unit or the entire organization. Unlike IAM policies or permissions boundaries, which apply to individual users or roles, SCPs operate at the account level and can explicitly deny access to services like Amazon Redshift across every member account without exception. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of the AWS authorization hierarchy and the distinction between account-level and identity-level controls. A common trap is confusing SCPs with IAM permissions boundaries—remember that SCPs affect the root user and all IAM principals in an account, while boundaries only limit a specific role or user. Memory tip: think of SCPs as the “organization’s bouncer” that can block entire services at the door, before any IAM policy gets a chance to grant access.
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 uses AWS Organizations and wants to restrict the use of specific AWS services in member accounts. For example, they want to block the use of Amazon Redshift. Which policy type should be used?
Service control policies (SCPs)
SCPs can deny services across all accounts in an organization.
IAM permissions boundaries
Why wrong: Permissions boundaries apply to IAM entities, not entire accounts.
IAM identity-based policies
Why wrong: Identity-based policies apply to users or roles, not accounts.
S3 bucket policies
Why wrong: Bucket policies are resource-specific, not service-wide.
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 policies (SCPs)
Service control policies (SCPs) can deny access to services at the organization level. Option B is correct. Option A (IAM permissions boundaries) are per-entity. Option C (IAM policies) are per-identity. Option D (Resource-based policies) are per-resource.
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.
Service control policies (SCPs)
Why this is correct
SCPs can deny services across all accounts in an organization.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
IAM permissions boundaries
Why it's wrong here
Permissions boundaries apply to IAM entities, not entire accounts.
IAM identity-based policies
Why it's wrong here
Identity-based policies apply to users or roles, not accounts.
S3 bucket policies
Why it's wrong here
Bucket policies are resource-specific, not service-wide.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
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FAQ
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
The correct answer is: Service control policies (SCPs) — Service control policies (SCPs) can deny access to services at the organization level. Option B is correct. Option A (IAM permissions boundaries) are per-entity. Option C (IAM policies) are per-identity. Option D (Resource-based policies) are per-resource.
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.
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Same concept, more angles
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. A company is using AWS Organizations and wants to restrict the use of specific AWS services in member accounts. Which TWO approaches can be used to enforce these restrictions? (Choose TWO.)
easyWhy C: Options A and B are correct. Option A: SCPs can deny service actions across all accounts in an OU. Option B: IAM policies can restrict users within an account. Option C is wrong because AWS Config only detects noncompliance, does not prevent. Option D is wrong because CloudTrail is for logging. Option E is wrong because Service Quotas does not restrict service usage.
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.
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