This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. 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 company hosts a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. The application stores sensitive user data in an S3 bucket. A security audit reveals that the S3 bucket policy allows access from any AWS account. Which combination of actions should be taken to secure the bucket?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Modify the bucket policy to allow access only from the application's VPC endpoint or specific IAM roles
Option C is correct because the bucket policy currently allows access from any AWS account, which is overly permissive. By restricting access to only the application's VPC endpoint (via aws:SourceVpce condition) or specific IAM roles (via aws:PrincipalArn), you enforce least privilege and ensure only authorized traffic from your application can access the sensitive data. This directly addresses the audit finding without relying on other mechanisms that don't restrict access by source.
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.
✗
Enable default encryption on the bucket
Why it's wrong here
Encryption protects data at rest but does not control access permissions.
✗
Enable S3 Block Public Access at the account level
Why it's wrong here
Block public access prevents public access but does not restrict access from other AWS accounts that have been granted permissions.
✓
Modify the bucket policy to allow access only from the application's VPC endpoint or specific IAM roles
Why this is correct
Restricting access to specific VPC endpoints or IAM roles ensures only authorized entities can access the bucket.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable AWS CloudTrail to log bucket access
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs access but does not prevent unauthorized access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'public access' (open to the internet) with 'cross-account access' (open to any AWS account), leading them to choose S3 Block Public Access, which does not block cross-account access when the policy explicitly allows it via a principal like '*' or an account ARN.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The aws:SourceVpce condition key in an S3 bucket policy allows you to restrict access to requests originating from a specific VPC endpoint (interface or gateway), which ensures traffic must come through your VPC. For IAM roles, using aws:PrincipalArn with specific role ARNs ensures only EC2 instances or services assuming those roles can access the bucket. This is more granular than using source IP or VPC conditions because it ties access to the application's identity and network path, preventing access from other accounts even if they have valid credentials.
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 — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Modify the bucket policy to allow access only from the application's VPC endpoint or specific IAM roles — Option C is correct because the bucket policy currently allows access from any AWS account, which is overly permissive. By restricting access to only the application's VPC endpoint (via aws:SourceVpce condition) or specific IAM roles (via aws:PrincipalArn), you enforce least privilege and ensure only authorized traffic from your application can access the sensitive data. This directly addresses the audit finding without relying on other mechanisms that don't restrict access by source.
What should I do if I get this DVA-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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Question Discussion
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