The answer is a role in the source account with a trust policy allowing the target account, plus a bucket policy granting access to that role. This works because cross-account S3 AssumeRole permissions rely on a two-step authorization chain: the source account’s IAM role must trust the target account via its trust policy, and the S3 bucket policy must explicitly grant the assumed role access to the bucket’s objects. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how IAM roles decouple permissions from users, and a common trap is forgetting the bucket policy—students often assume the role’s permissions alone are sufficient. Remember, the role gets you into the account, but the bucket policy lets you touch the data. A helpful memory tip is “Trust to enter, bucket to touch.”
DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data security and 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 data engineer needs to grant cross-account access to an S3 bucket. The engineer wants to use a role in the source account and assume that role from the target account. Which permissions are required?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Role in source account with trust policy allowing target account, and bucket policy granting access to the role
The target account needs sts:AssumeRole permission on the role ARN in the source account. The source account's bucket policy must also grant access to the assumed role. Option D is correct.
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.
✓
Role in source account with trust policy allowing target account, and bucket policy granting access to the role
Why this is correct
This is the correct cross-account access pattern using role assumption.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Bucket policy in source account allowing the target account's root user
Why it's wrong here
This alone does not allow role assumption; you need IAM role trust policy.
✗
Role in target account with trust policy allowing source account
Why it's wrong here
The role should be in the source account, not target.
✗
IAM policy in target account allowing s3:GetObject on the bucket
Why it's wrong here
Without assuming a role, the target account cannot directly access the bucket if it's not allowed by bucket policy.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Data Security and Governance — This question tests Data Security and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Role in source account with trust policy allowing target account, and bucket policy granting access to the role — The target account needs sts:AssumeRole permission on the role ARN in the source account. The source account's bucket policy must also grant access to the assumed role. Option D is correct.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DEA-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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