The answer is that you must also create an IAM policy in Account B that allows s3:GetObject for the specific bucket and attach it to the user. This is because cross-account S3 access requires both a resource-based policy (the bucket policy in Account A) and an identity-based policy (an IAM policy in Account B) to authorize the request; the bucket policy grants the target account permission to access the bucket, but the user’s own account must explicitly allow that action through an IAM policy. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the dual-policy requirement for cross-account access, and a common trap is assuming the bucket policy alone is sufficient. A useful memory tip is “both sides must say yes”: the bucket policy says “you can come in,” but the IAM policy says “you are allowed to enter.”
DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
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 has an Amazon S3 bucket (Bucket-A) in Account A that contains sensitive data. A developer in Account B needs read-only access to objects in Bucket-A. The developer in Account A added a bucket policy granting s3:GetObject to the IAM user in Account B. However, the IAM user in Account B still receives Access Denied errors. What additional step is required?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an IAM policy in Account B that allows s3:GetObject for the specific bucket and attach it to the user
The bucket policy in Account A grants access to the IAM user in Account B, but the user's identity in Account B must also have an explicit IAM policy that allows the s3:GetObject action. Without this, the user in Account B lacks the necessary permissions to access the bucket, even though the bucket policy permits it. This is because cross-account access requires both a resource-based policy (bucket policy) in the source account and an identity-based policy (IAM policy) in the target account to authorize the request.
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 an S3 bucket ACL granting the user in Account B Read access
Why it's wrong here
ACLs are not needed and do not resolve the missing IAM permission in Account B.
✓
Create an IAM policy in Account B that allows s3:GetObject for the specific bucket and attach it to the user
Why this is correct
The user must have explicit permission from their own account to perform the action, in addition to the bucket policy.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Generate a pre-signed URL for each object and share it with the user
Why it's wrong here
Pre-signed URLs provide temporary access but are not a permanent solution and require manual management.
✗
Add a condition in the bucket policy to allow requests only from the user's IP address
Why it's wrong here
This would restrict access further, not solve the missing IAM permission issue.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a bucket policy alone is sufficient for cross-account access, forgetting that the IAM user in the target account must also have an explicit allow policy for the action.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS evaluates both the resource-based policy (bucket policy) and the identity-based policy (IAM user policy) when processing a cross-account request. The request is only allowed if both policies explicitly grant the action. This is a key difference from same-account access, where the identity-based policy alone is sufficient. In practice, this means developers must ensure both sides of the permission chain are configured, often leading to confusion when only the bucket policy is set.
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: Create an IAM policy in Account B that allows s3:GetObject for the specific bucket and attach it to the user — The bucket policy in Account A grants access to the IAM user in Account B, but the user's identity in Account B must also have an explicit IAM policy that allows the s3:GetObject action. Without this, the user in Account B lacks the necessary permissions to access the bucket, even though the bucket policy permits it. This is because cross-account access requires both a resource-based policy (bucket policy) in the source account and an identity-based policy (IAM policy) in the target account to authorize the request.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A developer in Account A has an Amazon S3 bucket that contains sensitive data. The developer wants to grant an IAM user in Account B read-only access to objects in the bucket. The developer has added a bucket policy in Account A that grants s3:GetObject access to the IAM user's ARN. However, the IAM user in Account B still receives Access Denied errors. What additional configuration is required?
easy
✓ A.Add an IAM policy in Account B that allows the user to perform s3:GetObject on the bucket's ARN.
B.Create an S3 access point and grant the user access through it.
C.Change the bucket policy to grant access to the entire AWS account B instead of the specific user.
D.Enable S3 object ownership and set the bucket ACL to grant read access to the user in Account B.
Why A: Option A is correct because cross-account access to S3 requires both a bucket policy in the source account (Account A) granting the necessary permissions to the target IAM user, and an IAM identity-based policy in the target account (Account B) that explicitly allows the same action (s3:GetObject) on the bucket's ARN. Without the IAM policy in Account B, the user lacks the authorization to initiate the request, even though the bucket policy permits it. This dual-permission model is a fundamental security requirement for cross-account S3 access.
Variation 2. A developer needs to share an S3 bucket with a third-party AWS account. The third-party will upload files to the bucket using their own IAM users. The developer creates a bucket policy that grants s3:PutObject to the third-party account's root user. However, the third-party reports that their IAM users cannot upload files. What is the MOST likely reason?
easy
✓ A.The third-party's IAM users do not have an IAM policy allowing s3:PutObject.
B.The bucket policy must include a condition requiring encryption.
C.The bucket policy should grant access to the IAM user ARN instead of the root user.
D.The developer must create IAM users in their own account for the third-party.
Why A: Option A is correct because the bucket policy grants access to the root user, but the IAM users also need explicit permissions from their own account via an IAM policy. Option B is wrong because the bucket policy is not missing a condition; it's a permissions issue. Option C is wrong because the bucket policy grants PutObject to the root, but not to the users. Option D is wrong because S3 does not require user creation in the owning account for cross-account access.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This DVA-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DVA-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.