← DVA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 414 of 1,616

Security →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

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 developer wants to grant a user in a different AWS account access to an S3 bucket. The developer has written a bucket policy that allows the user's IAM user ARN. However, the access is still denied. 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.

Question 1easymultiple choice

Full question →

A
The user's IAM user policy does not explicitly allow the required S3 action
In cross-account access, both the bucket policy and the user's IAM policy must grant permission. The user's policy must include an Allow for the action (e.g., s3:GetObject).
B
The bucket policy does not have a principal of '*' to allow external accounts
Why wrong: The bucket policy can grant access to a specific user ARN; a wildcard principal is not required for cross-account access.
C
The bucket is in a different region than the user's account
Why wrong: S3 is global; cross-region access is allowed and does not cause access denial.
D
The user is using the wrong S3 endpoint (e.g., path-style vs virtual-hosted)
Why wrong: Using the wrong endpoint type may result in errors like 301 or 400, but not an explicit access denied (403) response.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

The user's IAM user policy does not explicitly allow the required S3 action

When granting cross-account access to an S3 bucket, both the bucket policy (resource-based policy) and the user's IAM policy (identity-based policy) must explicitly allow the action. The bucket policy alone is insufficient if the user's IAM policy does not include an explicit Allow for the S3 action, because IAM denies by default. Even though the bucket policy grants access, the user's own IAM policy must also permit the operation for the request to succeed.

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.

✓
The user's IAM user policy does not explicitly allow the required S3 action
Why this is correct
In cross-account access, both the bucket policy and the user's IAM policy must grant permission. The user's policy must include an Allow for the action (e.g., s3:GetObject).
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The bucket policy does not have a principal of '*' to allow external accounts
Why it's wrong here
The bucket policy can grant access to a specific user ARN; a wildcard principal is not required for cross-account access.
✗
The bucket is in a different region than the user's account
Why it's wrong here
S3 is global; cross-region access is allowed and does not cause access denial.
✗
The user is using the wrong S3 endpoint (e.g., path-style vs virtual-hosted)
Why it's wrong here
Using the wrong endpoint type may result in errors like 301 or 400, but not an explicit access denied (403) response.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates assume a bucket policy alone is sufficient for cross-account access, forgetting that the external user's IAM policy must also explicitly allow the action, as IAM denies all actions by default.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, AWS evaluates both resource-based policies (like bucket policies) and identity-based policies (IAM user policies) using a union of all applicable policies, but an explicit Deny in either policy overrides any Allow. In cross-account scenarios, the bucket policy grants access to the external principal, but the external account's IAM policy must also allow the action; otherwise, the request is denied by the default implicit Deny in the external account. This is a common pitfall because developers often assume the bucket policy alone is sufficient for cross-account access.

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.

Related DVA-C02 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Development with AWS Services practice questions

Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to Development with AWS Services.

Security practice questions

Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to Security.

Deployment practice questions

Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to Deployment.

Troubleshooting and Optimization practice questions

Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to Troubleshooting and Optimization.

DVA-C02 fundamentals practice questions

Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to DVA-C02 fundamentals.

DVA-C02 scenario practice questions

Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to DVA-C02 scenario.

DVA-C02 troubleshooting practice questions

Practise DVA-C02 questions linked to DVA-C02 troubleshooting.

Practice this exam

Start a free DVA-C02 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

DVA-C02 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DVA-C02 question test?

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: The user's IAM user policy does not explicitly allow the required S3 action — When granting cross-account access to an S3 bucket, both the bucket policy (resource-based policy) and the user's IAM policy (identity-based policy) must explicitly allow the action. The bucket policy alone is insufficient if the user's IAM policy does not include an explicit Allow for the S3 action, because IAM denies by default. Even though the bucket policy grants access, the user's own IAM policy must also permit the operation for the request to succeed.

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.

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?

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 →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

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.

Loading comments…

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.