The answer is to add a bucket policy on the S3 bucket in the target account to explicitly allow the assumed role to perform s3:PutObject. This is required because in a cross-account CodePipeline deployment, the pipeline role in the source account assumes a target IAM role in the destination account, and while that target role may have IAM permissions allowing PutObject, S3 bucket policies are evaluated separately as a resource-based control. Without a bucket policy that grants the assumed role (or its principal) the necessary action, the default implicit deny of the bucket policy overrides the IAM allow, resulting in an Access Denied error. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the critical distinction between identity-based policies (IAM roles) and resource-based policies (S3 bucket policies) in cross-account access. A common trap is assuming that granting PutObject to the IAM role alone is sufficient—it is not. Memory tip: "IAM allows, but the bucket denies unless the bucket policy says yes."
DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. 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.
A company uses AWS CodePipeline with a cross-account action that deploys to an S3 bucket in another account. The deployment fails with 'Access Denied'. The pipeline role has permissions to assume a role in the target account, and the target role has S3 putObject permissions. What additional configuration is required?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a bucket policy on the S3 bucket to allow the assumed role to put objects
Option A is correct because in a cross-account CodePipeline deployment to an S3 bucket, the pipeline role in the source account assumes a target IAM role in the destination account. While the target role has S3 putObject permissions, S3 bucket policies are evaluated separately from IAM policies. The bucket policy must explicitly grant the assumed role (or its principal) the s3:PutObject action; otherwise, the request is denied by default, even if the IAM role allows it.
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.
✓
Add a bucket policy on the S3 bucket to allow the assumed role to put objects
Why this is correct
The S3 bucket policy must grant the assumed role (from the other account) the s3:PutObject permission.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Add a trust policy on the target IAM role to allow the pipeline role to assume it
Why it's wrong here
The trust policy is already in place since the pipeline can assume the role.
✗
Enable versioning on the S3 bucket
Why it's wrong here
Versioning is not a security permission.
✗
Enable KMS encryption on the S3 bucket and grant decrypt permissions
Why it's wrong here
This is only needed if bucket uses KMS encryption; not mentioned.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume IAM role permissions alone are sufficient for cross-account S3 access, forgetting that S3 bucket policies act as an additional authorization layer that must explicitly allow the cross-account principal.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS evaluates both IAM policies and resource-based policies (like S3 bucket policies) for cross-account access. The effective permission is the intersection of the IAM role's permissions and the bucket policy's allow statements. Even if the assumed role has s3:PutObject via its IAM policy, the bucket policy must explicitly allow the role's ARN (or a condition like aws:SourceArn) to perform the action. A common real-world scenario is when the bucket policy uses a Principal of '*' but lacks a condition restricting to the assumed role, causing an implicit deny.
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: Add a bucket policy on the S3 bucket to allow the assumed role to put objects — Option A is correct because in a cross-account CodePipeline deployment to an S3 bucket, the pipeline role in the source account assumes a target IAM role in the destination account. While the target role has S3 putObject permissions, S3 bucket policies are evaluated separately from IAM policies. The bucket policy must explicitly grant the assumed role (or its principal) the s3:PutObject action; otherwise, the request is denied by default, even if the IAM role allows it.
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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