DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data operations and support. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. An IAM policy is attached to an IAM role used by an application. The application needs to read objects from 'my-bucket' that have the tag 'classification=public'. The application account is 123456789012. However, the application is getting 'Access Denied' errors. What is the most likely reason?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The object being accessed does not have the tag 'classification=public'.
Option A is correct because the Deny statement blocks any request that does not come from account 123456789012. Even though the application is in that account, the Deny does not have a condition that allows the account; it uses StringNotEquals, so if the condition is not met, the Deny applies. In this case, the s3:ExistingObjectTag condition in the Allow statement is not part of the Deny condition, but the Deny statement applies to all s3 actions and resources. The key issue is that the Allow statement has a condition requiring the tag, but the Deny statement does not have a condition that excludes the account; it denies all actions unless the request comes from the account. However, the request does come from the account, so the Deny should not apply? Actually, StringNotEquals means if the source account is NOT 123456789012, then deny. Since it IS 123456789012, the condition is false, so the Deny does not apply. So the Allow should work if the tag condition is met. So what's wrong? The Allow condition requires the tag, but the Deny does not. If the object does not have the tag, the Allow does not apply, but there is no explicit deny for that case. However, the error might be due to the object not having the tag. Option A is plausible: the Deny is too broad, but it's not blocking the account. Option B: missing s3:ListBucket prevents listing but not direct GetObject if you know the key. Option C: the condition on Allow might not match; but the error is Access Denied, not that the object doesn't exist. Option D: if the object has the tag, the Allow applies, and Deny does not, so it should work. The most likely reason is that the object does not have the tag 'classification=public', so the Allow condition fails, and there is no other Allow for GetObject, resulting in implicit deny. So Option C is correct: the object's tag does not match the condition.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The Deny statement uses StringNotEquals, which incorrectly denies the application account.
Why it's wrong here
StringNotEquals denies only when the account does not match; it does not deny when it matches.
✗
The policy does not grant s3:ListBucket permission, so the application cannot list objects.
Why it's wrong here
GetObject does not require ListBucket.
✓
The object being accessed does not have the tag 'classification=public'.
Why this is correct
Without the tag, the Allow condition fails, leading to implicit deny.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
✗
The Deny statement blocks all access from accounts other than 123456789012, but the application is in that account.
Why it's wrong here
The Deny condition does not block the correct account.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
The first matching ACL entry is used.
There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
→Check inbound versus outbound direction.
→Read the ACL from top to bottom.
→Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related DEA-C01 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Data Operations and Support — This question tests Data Operations and Support — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The object being accessed does not have the tag 'classification=public'. — Option A is correct because the Deny statement blocks any request that does not come from account 123456789012. Even though the application is in that account, the Deny does not have a condition that allows the account; it uses StringNotEquals, so if the condition is not met, the Deny applies. In this case, the s3:ExistingObjectTag condition in the Allow statement is not part of the Deny condition, but the Deny statement applies to all s3 actions and resources. The key issue is that the Allow statement has a condition requiring the tag, but the Deny statement does not have a condition that excludes the account; it denies all actions unless the request comes from the account. However, the request does come from the account, so the Deny should not apply? Actually, StringNotEquals means if the source account is NOT 123456789012, then deny. Since it IS 123456789012, the condition is false, so the Deny does not apply. So the Allow should work if the tag condition is met. So what's wrong? The Allow condition requires the tag, but the Deny does not. If the object does not have the tag, the Allow does not apply, but there is no explicit deny for that case. However, the error might be due to the object not having the tag. Option A is plausible: the Deny is too broad, but it's not blocking the account. Option B: missing s3:ListBucket prevents listing but not direct GetObject if you know the key. Option C: the condition on Allow might not match; but the error is Access Denied, not that the object doesn't exist. Option D: if the object has the tag, the Allow applies, and Deny does not, so it should work. The most likely reason is that the object does not have the tag 'classification=public', so the Allow condition fails, and there is no other Allow for GetObject, resulting in implicit deny. So Option C is correct: the object's tag does not match the condition.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related DEA-C01 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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