CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
A company uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple AWS accounts. The security team needs to enforce a policy that prevents any employee from deploying resources in AWS Regions outside of the United States. The company’s legal department requires a preventive control that automatically blocks all resource creation in non-approved Regions for every account, including any new accounts added in the future. The team wants a solution that requires minimal ongoing administration. Which AWS feature should the security team use?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse detective controls (AWS Config) with preventive controls (SCPs) or mistakenly think IAM policies can enforce organization-wide restrictions, but SCPs are the only mechanism that applies to all accounts and principals in AWS Organizations without ongoing maintenance.
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
✓
Attach a Service Control Policy (SCP) in AWS Organizations that denies access to all AWS API actions when the `aws:RequestedRegion` condition key does not match an approved Region.
A Service Control Policy (SCP) attached to the root or an OU in AWS Organizations can deny all AWS API actions when the `aws:RequestedRegion` condition key does not match an approved Region (e.g., `us-east-1` or `us-west-2`). This provides a preventive, account-wide guard that automatically applies to all existing and future accounts in the organization, requiring no per-user or per-role configuration and minimal ongoing administration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create an IAM policy with a condition that denies `ec2:RunInstances` if the Region is not `us-east-1` or `us-west-2`, and attach it to all IAM users and roles.
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies must be attached to individual users, groups, or roles in each account, which is not centralized across all accounts. Additionally, it only blocks EC2 instance launches, not other resource types. Service Control Policies are more comprehensive and centralized.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked for a solution to restrict resource deployment for specific IAM users or roles within a single account, and did not require coverage of new accounts or the root user, then an IAM policy with a Region condition would be correct.
- ✗
Configure an AWS Config rule that checks for resources in non-approved Regions and automatically terminates them using a custom Lambda function.
Why it's wrong here
This is a detective and reactive control, not a preventive control. It does not block creation of resources; it responds after the resource is already created. It also requires setting up custom remediation and may not cover all resource types immediately.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question asked for a detective control that automatically remediates non-compliant resources after they are created, or if the requirement was to audit and report on resources in non-approved Regions rather than prevent them.
- ✓
Attach a Service Control Policy (SCP) in AWS Organizations that denies access to all AWS API actions when the `aws:RequestedRegion` condition key does not match an approved Region.
Why this is correct
This is correct. An SCP is a centralized, preventive control that applies to all principals (users, roles) in member accounts. The condition `aws:RequestedRegion` is supported by most AWS services, allowing the policy to block resource creation in any non-approved Region. It automatically applies to new accounts added to the organization.
- ✗
Use VPC endpoint policies to restrict traffic to only the approved AWS Regions.
Why it's wrong here
VPC endpoints are regional network constructs that provide private connectivity from a VPC to AWS services without traversing the public internet. An endpoint policy only affects traffic routed through that specific endpoint, not all API calls made by an IAM principal, and it does not restrict which Region a user can request resource creation in. This approach cannot centrally or preventively enforce an approved-Region list across the organization because it neither blocks console/SDK actions nor covers accounts or services outside the VPC.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asking how to restrict access to AWS services (e.g., S3, DynamoDB) to only traffic originating from a specific VPC or on-premises network, using VPC endpoints and endpoint policies.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The CLF-C02 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Attach a Service Control Policy (SCP) in AWS Organizations that denies access to all AWS API actions when the `aws:RequestedRegion` condition key does not match an approved Region.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
This is correct. An SCP is a centralized, preventive control that applies to all principals (users, roles) in member accounts. The condition `aws:RequestedRegion` is supported by most AWS services, allowing the policy to block resource creation in any non-approved Region. It automatically applies to new accounts added to the organization.
✗Create an IAM policy with a condition that denies `ec2:RunInstances` if the Region is not `us-east-1` or `us-west-2`, and attach it to all IAM users and roles.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
IAM policies attached to users/roles do not apply to the root user or new accounts automatically, and they require manual attachment to every principal, failing the 'minimal ongoing administration' and 'every account including new ones' requirements.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question asked for a solution to restrict resource deployment for specific IAM users or roles within a single account, and did not require coverage of new accounts or the root user, then an IAM policy with a Region condition would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think IAM policies are the standard way to control permissions and overlook that SCPs are needed for organization-wide preventive controls across all accounts.
✗Configure an AWS Config rule that checks for resources in non-approved Regions and automatically terminates them using a custom Lambda function.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
AWS Config with a custom Lambda function is a detective and reactive control, not a preventive one. It would terminate resources after creation, not block them, and requires ongoing maintenance of the Lambda function and Config rules.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question asked for a detective control that automatically remediates non-compliant resources after they are created, or if the requirement was to audit and report on resources in non-approved Regions rather than prevent them.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think AWS Config can enforce policies proactively, but it only detects and can trigger remediation after the fact, not block the action. The Lambda function seems like a powerful automation, but it doesn't meet the preventive requirement.
✗Use VPC endpoint policies to restrict traffic to only the approved AWS Regions.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
VPC endpoint policies only control traffic to AWS services through VPC endpoints, not resource creation across all accounts and regions. They cannot block deployments in non-approved regions for accounts not using VPC endpoints.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asking how to restrict access to AWS services (e.g., S3, DynamoDB) to only traffic originating from a specific VPC or on-premises network, using VPC endpoints and endpoint policies.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse network-level controls (VPC endpoints) with organization-wide governance controls (SCPs), thinking that restricting traffic to approved regions via endpoints prevents resource creation.
Analysis generated from the official CLF-C02blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CLF-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 CLF-C02 exam.