- A
AWS IAM Access Analyzer
Correct. AWS IAM Access Analyzer continuously analyzes resource-based policies and reports on resources that are accessible from external entities, including other AWS accounts or public access. It is specifically designed for this use case.
- B
AWS Config
Why wrong: Incorrect. AWS Config evaluates your AWS resource configurations against desired rules and tracks configuration changes over time. While it can be used to detect non-compliant S3 bucket policies, it does not proactively analyze policies for unintended cross-account or public access in the same way as IAM Access Analyzer. Access Analyzer is more targeted for this specific requirement.
- C
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: Incorrect. AWS Trusted Advisor provides a check for S3 buckets with open access permissions, but it is a point-in-time check that updates periodically, not a continuous, findings-based service. It also does not analyze access from specific external AWS accounts. IAM Access Analyzer offers more granular and continuous detection.
- D
Amazon Macie
Why wrong: Incorrect. Amazon Macie uses machine learning and pattern matching to discover and protect sensitive data within S3 buckets, such as personally identifiable information (PII). It does not analyze resource policies for unintended access permissions. The requirement is about policy analysis, not content inspection.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS IAM Access Analyzer. This service is the correct choice because it continuously analyzes resource-based policies attached to S3 buckets to identify unintended access from external AWS accounts or the public internet, automatically generating findings when overly permissive policies are detected. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of how IAM Access Analyzer proactively monitors for security risks, often appearing as a distractor against services like AWS Config or Trusted Advisor, which evaluate compliance or cost but do not specifically analyze resource-based policies for external access. A common trap is confusing it with S3 Block Public Access, which prevents public access at the account or bucket level but does not detect existing unintended access across external accounts. Remember the memory tip: IAM Access Analyzer “analyzes access” by scanning policies for the “Principal”: “*” condition that grants public or cross-account access.
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 stores sensitive customer data in multiple Amazon S3 buckets. The security team wants to proactively identify any buckets that have been configured to allow unintended access from external AWS accounts or from the public internet. The team needs a service that continuously analyzes the resource-based policies attached to these buckets and generates findings when such unintended access is detected. Which AWS service should the security team use to meet this requirement?
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
AWS IAM Access Analyzer
AWS IAM Access Analyzer is the correct service because it continuously analyzes resource-based policies (such as S3 bucket policies) to identify resources that are shared with external AWS accounts or publicly accessible. It generates findings for any policy that grants access to a principal outside of its AWS account, including the 'Principal': '*' condition that allows public internet access. This directly meets the requirement for proactive, continuous monitoring of unintended access.
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.
- ✓
AWS IAM Access Analyzer
Why this is correct
Correct. AWS IAM Access Analyzer continuously analyzes resource-based policies and reports on resources that are accessible from external entities, including other AWS accounts or public access. It is specifically designed for this use case.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. AWS Config evaluates your AWS resource configurations against desired rules and tracks configuration changes over time. While it can be used to detect non-compliant S3 bucket policies, it does not proactively analyze policies for unintended cross-account or public access in the same way as IAM Access Analyzer. Access Analyzer is more targeted for this specific requirement.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. AWS Trusted Advisor provides a check for S3 buckets with open access permissions, but it is a point-in-time check that updates periodically, not a continuous, findings-based service. It also does not analyze access from specific external AWS accounts. IAM Access Analyzer offers more granular and continuous detection.
- ✗
Amazon Macie
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Amazon Macie uses machine learning and pattern matching to discover and protect sensitive data within S3 buckets, such as personally identifiable information (PII). It does not analyze resource policies for unintended access permissions. The requirement is about policy analysis, not content inspection.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config's ability to monitor resource configurations with IAM Access Analyzer's specific purpose of analyzing resource-based policies for cross-account and public access, leading them to choose Config when the requirement explicitly mentions 'resource-based policies' and 'unintended access from external AWS accounts or the public internet.'
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
IAM Access Analyzer uses a policy analysis engine that evaluates the effective permissions of resource-based policies by simulating requests from external principals. It supports custom policy checks and can analyze S3 bucket policies, SQS queue policies, KMS key policies, and more. A subtle behavior is that it only generates findings for policies that explicitly grant access to external principals—it does not flag policies that rely on identity-based policies (e.g., IAM roles) because those are not resource-based.
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.
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.
- →
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Security and Compliance practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All CLF-C02 questions
1,024 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
CLF-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related CLF-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Cloud Concepts practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Concepts.
Security and Compliance practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
Cloud Technology and Services practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Technology and Services.
Billing, Pricing, and Support practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Billing, Pricing, and Support.
AWS shared responsibility model practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS shared responsibility model.
AWS IAM practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS IAM.
AWS pricing practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS pricing.
AWS support plans practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS support plans.
AWS S3 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS S3.
AWS EC2 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS EC2.
Practice this exam
Start a free CLF-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-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: AWS IAM Access Analyzer — AWS IAM Access Analyzer is the correct service because it continuously analyzes resource-based policies (such as S3 bucket policies) to identify resources that are shared with external AWS accounts or publicly accessible. It generates findings for any policy that grants access to a principal outside of its AWS account, including the 'Principal': '*' condition that allows public internet access. This directly meets the requirement for proactive, continuous monitoring of unintended access.
What should I do if I get this CLF-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.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on CLF-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's security team wants to identify all Amazon S3 buckets that are shared with external AWS accounts or publicly accessible. The team needs a continuous evaluation that reports findings in a centralized dashboard and sends alerts when new unintended external shares are created. Which AWS service should the security team use to meet these requirements?
medium- A.AWS Config
- ✓ B.IAM Access Analyzer
- C.AWS Trusted Advisor
- D.Amazon GuardDuty
Why B: IAM Access Analyzer is the correct choice because it continuously monitors resource policies, including S3 bucket policies, to identify resources shared with external AWS accounts or publicly. It provides a centralized dashboard in the IAM console to view findings and integrates with Amazon EventBridge to send alerts via Amazon SNS when new unintended external shares are created, meeting all stated requirements.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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.