← SOA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 1,341 of 1,546

Security and Compliance →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to use AWS Config with the managed rule 'ec2-termination-protection-check' and attach an auto-remediation action via an AWS Systems Manager Automation document. This is correct because AWS Config continuously evaluates your EC2 instances against the managed rule, and when it detects a noncompliant instance—one launched without termination protection—the auto-remediation triggers a Systems Manager Automation runbook, such as AWS-EnableTerminationProtection, to enable the setting automatically, all without custom scripts. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of combining AWS Config’s detective controls with Systems Manager’s automated remediation, a common pattern for enforcing security baselines. A frequent trap is choosing AWS Lambda or custom scripts, but the question explicitly requires managed services only. Memory tip: think “Config detects, SSM corrects”—the rule checks, the Automation document fixes.

SOA-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 requires that all Amazon EC2 instances launched in its AWS account must have termination protection enabled. The SysOps administrator needs to automatically remediate any instance launched without termination protection. The solution should use AWS managed services without custom scripts. Which AWS service should be used?

Question 1easymultiple choice

Read the full NAT/PAT explanation →

A
Configure AWS Config with a managed rule 'ec2-termination-protection-check' and set an auto-remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that enables termination protection on the instance.
AWS Config can evaluate resources against a rule and automatically remediate non-compliant resources using Systems Manager Automation. This meets the requirement without custom scripts.
B
Use Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling to automatically apply termination protection to all launched instances.
Why wrong: Auto Scaling manages scaling policies and instance lifecycle, but it does not have a feature to automatically enable termination protection on every instance launched outside of Auto Scaling groups.
C
Enable AWS Trusted Advisor to send notifications when instances lack termination protection, and have administrators manually fix them.
Why wrong: Trusted Advisor can identify non-compliant resources but does not provide automated remediation. The requirement mandates automatic remediation.
D
Create an IAM policy that denies the RunInstances action unless termination protection is enabled.
Why wrong: IAM policies cannot enforce instance configuration at launch; the ec2:DisableApiTermination parameter is available, but the RunInstances API does not support condition keys that require termination protection. This approach is not feasible.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Configure AWS Config with a managed rule 'ec2-termination-protection-check' and set an auto-remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that enables termination protection on the instance.

Option A is correct because AWS Config's managed rule 'ec2-termination-protection-check' can detect instances without termination protection, and you can attach an auto-remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document (e.g., AWS-EnableTerminationProtection) to automatically enable termination protection on noncompliant instances. This solution uses only AWS managed services and requires no custom scripts, meeting the company's requirements.

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.

✓
Configure AWS Config with a managed rule 'ec2-termination-protection-check' and set an auto-remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that enables termination protection on the instance.
Why this is correct
AWS Config can evaluate resources against a rule and automatically remediate non-compliant resources using Systems Manager Automation. This meets the requirement without custom scripts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling to automatically apply termination protection to all launched instances.
Why it's wrong here
Auto Scaling manages scaling policies and instance lifecycle, but it does not have a feature to automatically enable termination protection on every instance launched outside of Auto Scaling groups.
✗
Enable AWS Trusted Advisor to send notifications when instances lack termination protection, and have administrators manually fix them.
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor can identify non-compliant resources but does not provide automated remediation. The requirement mandates automatic remediation.
✗
Create an IAM policy that denies the RunInstances action unless termination protection is enabled.
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies cannot enforce instance configuration at launch; the ec2:DisableApiTermination parameter is available, but the RunInstances API does not support condition keys that require termination protection. This approach is not feasible.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may confuse AWS Config's detection-only capability with its auto-remediation feature, or assume that IAM policies can enforce instance-level attributes at launch time, when in fact IAM conditions like 'ec2:DisableApiTermination' are not supported for the RunInstances action.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

AWS Config evaluates resources against rules on a periodic or event-driven basis; when a resource is noncompliant, it can trigger an SSM Automation document via an auto-remediation action. The SSM document 'AWS-EnableTerminationProtection' uses the ec2:ModifyInstanceAttribute API to set the disableApiTermination attribute to true, which is the underlying mechanism for termination protection. This approach is idempotent and can be scoped to specific resource types or tags, making it suitable for continuous compliance enforcement.

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.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SOA-C02 question test?

Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Configure AWS Config with a managed rule 'ec2-termination-protection-check' and set an auto-remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that enables termination protection on the instance. — Option A is correct because AWS Config's managed rule 'ec2-termination-protection-check' can detect instances without termination protection, and you can attach an auto-remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document (e.g., AWS-EnableTerminationProtection) to automatically enable termination protection on noncompliant instances. This solution uses only AWS managed services and requires no custom scripts, meeting the company's requirements.

What should I do if I get this SOA-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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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on SOA-C02

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 wants to enforce that all Amazon EC2 instances launched in the AWS account must have a specific termination protection setting enabled. The SysOps administrator needs to automatically remediate any instances that are launched without termination protection. Which AWS service should be used to achieve this?

medium

A.AWS Config with a managed rule ec2-instance-no-public-ip and an SSM Automation remediation.
✓ B.AWS Config with a custom rule using AWS Lambda to evaluate and enable termination protection.
C.Amazon Inspector to scan instances and trigger a remediation action.
D.AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager to apply a policy for termination protection.

Why B: AWS Config can evaluate resources against desired configurations using managed or custom rules. A custom AWS Config rule can invoke a Lambda function to check if termination protection is enabled on EC2 instances and automatically enable it if missing, providing the required remediation. This approach directly addresses the requirement to enforce termination protection on all launched instances.

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