- A
Apply a service control policy (SCP) to the root organizational unit that denies S3 actions without encryption.
SCPs are used to centrally control permissions across all accounts in an organization.
- B
Configure an IAM role in the master account to enforce encryption via cross-account access.
Why wrong: IAM roles do not enforce service behavior; they grant permissions.
- C
Create an IAM policy in each account that denies s3:PutObject without encryption.
Why wrong: This would require manual setup in each account, not centralized enforcement.
- D
Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a bucket policy to each account.
Why wrong: CloudFormation StackSets can deploy resources, but SCPs are more direct for service control.
Question 1,164 of 1,546
Enforce S3 Encryption Across All Accounts with SCP
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 with multiple accounts. The security team wants to ensure that all S3 buckets across all accounts have encryption enabled. What is the most efficient way to enforce this policy?
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
✓
Apply a service control policy (SCP) to the root organizational unit that denies S3 actions without encryption.
A service control policy (SCP) applied to the root organizational unit in AWS Organizations can centrally enforce encryption requirements for all S3 buckets across every member account. By denying S3 actions (such as s3:PutObject) unless the request includes encryption parameters (e.g., x-amz-server-side-encryption), the SCP acts as a guardrail that cannot be overridden by account-level IAM policies, ensuring compliance without per-account configuration.
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.
- ✓
Apply a service control policy (SCP) to the root organizational unit that denies S3 actions without encryption.
Why this is correct
SCPs are used to centrally control permissions across all accounts in an organization.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configure an IAM role in the master account to enforce encryption via cross-account access.
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles do not enforce service behavior; they grant permissions.
- ✗
Create an IAM policy in each account that denies s3:PutObject without encryption.
Why it's wrong here
This would require manual setup in each account, not centralized enforcement.
- ✗
Use AWS CloudFormation StackSets to deploy a bucket policy to each account.
Why it's wrong here
CloudFormation StackSets can deploy resources, but SCPs are more direct for service control.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SCPs with IAM policies, assuming that IAM policies in each account are sufficient, but SCPs provide centralized, unoverridable enforcement across all accounts in an organization.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SCPs use AWS Organizations' policy language to control maximum permissions for all IAM users and roles in member accounts. When an SCP denies s3:PutObject unless the request includes the 's3:x-amz-server-side-encryption' condition key with a value like 'AES256' or 'aws:kms', it blocks any unencrypted uploads at the API level, even if the account's IAM policies allow the action. This works because SCPs are evaluated before IAM policies and cannot be bypassed by account administrators.
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 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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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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Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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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: Apply a service control policy (SCP) to the root organizational unit that denies S3 actions without encryption. — A service control policy (SCP) applied to the root organizational unit in AWS Organizations can centrally enforce encryption requirements for all S3 buckets across every member account. By denying S3 actions (such as s3:PutObject) unless the request includes encryption parameters (e.g., x-amz-server-side-encryption), the SCP acts as a guardrail that cannot be overridden by account-level IAM policies, ensuring compliance without per-account configuration.
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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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