- A
Role in source account with trust policy allowing target account, and bucket policy granting access to the role
This is the correct cross-account access pattern using role assumption.
- B
Bucket policy in source account allowing the target account's root user
Why wrong: This alone does not allow role assumption; you need IAM role trust policy.
- C
Role in target account with trust policy allowing source account
Why wrong: The role should be in the source account, not target.
- D
IAM policy in target account allowing s3:GetObject on the bucket
Why wrong: Without assuming a role, the target account cannot directly access the bucket if it's not allowed by bucket policy.
Question 35 of 1,786
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 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
✓
Role in source account with trust policy allowing target account, and bucket policy granting access to the role
Option A is correct because cross-account access via role assumption requires the source account to have an IAM role with a trust policy that explicitly allows the target account's AWS account ID to assume it. The bucket policy must then grant the necessary S3 actions (e.g., s3:GetObject) to that role's ARN, enabling the target account's assumed role session to access the bucket. This two-step mechanism—trust policy for authentication and bucket policy for authorization—is the standard AWS pattern for secure cross-account S3 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.
- ✓
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
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the direction of the trust policy—thinking the role must be in the target account—or incorrectly assume that a bucket policy alone (without a role) is sufficient for cross-account access, missing the requirement for the target account to authenticate via role assumption.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the role assumption uses the AWS Security Token Service (STS) AssumeRole API, which returns temporary credentials valid for up to 12 hours by default. The trust policy in the source account's role must include a Principal element with the target account's AWS account ID (e.g., "AWS": "arn:aws:iam::TARGET-ACCOUNT-ID:root") and an Action of "sts:AssumeRole". A common subtlety is that the bucket policy must use the role's ARN (not the target account's root user) as the principal, and the role must have an attached IAM policy granting the S3 actions—otherwise, even with the trust policy, the role cannot perform S3 operations.
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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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DEA-C01 question test?
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 — Option A is correct because cross-account access via role assumption requires the source account to have an IAM role with a trust policy that explicitly allows the target account's AWS account ID to assume it. The bucket policy must then grant the necessary S3 actions (e.g., s3:GetObject) to that role's ARN, enabling the target account's assumed role session to access the bucket. This two-step mechanism—trust policy for authentication and bucket policy for authorization—is the standard AWS pattern for secure cross-account S3 access.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 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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