The answer is to modify the bucket policy to allow the IAM role explicitly, or remove the Deny statement. This is correct because an S3 bucket policy explicit deny override IAM permissions: when a resource-based policy contains an explicit Deny, it takes absolute precedence over any allow granted by an identity-based IAM policy, even if the IAM role has a full Allow for s3:GetObject. The explicit Deny cannot be bypassed by attaching more permissive IAM policies—only by altering the bucket policy itself. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this tests your understanding of the AWS authorization model, specifically that explicit Deny in any policy type always wins. A common trap is assuming an IAM policy alone can override a bucket policy Deny; it cannot. Memory tip: “Deny is final—only the bucket policy can fix it.”
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 developer needs to grant an IAM role in the same AWS account read-only access to objects in a specific S3 bucket. The bucket is configured with a bucket policy that has an explicit Deny statement denying all principals except the root user. Which approach should the developer use to grant the required access?
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 the IAM role explicitly, or remove the Deny statement
The bucket policy contains an explicit Deny that overrides any allow permissions, including those granted by an IAM policy attached to the role. To grant the IAM role read-only access, the developer must either remove the Deny statement or add an explicit Allow for the role in the bucket policy, because an explicit Deny in a resource-based policy cannot be overridden by an identity-based policy.
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.
✓
Modify the bucket policy to allow the IAM role explicitly, or remove the Deny statement
Why this is correct
Correct. The bucket policy's explicit Deny must be adjusted to permit access to the IAM role.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Attach an IAM policy to the role that allows s3:GetObject on the bucket
Why it's wrong here
An IAM policy cannot override an explicit Deny in a bucket policy.
✗
Use an S3 access point instead of the bucket directly
Why it's wrong here
Access points do not bypass explicit Deny statements in the underlying bucket policy.
✗
Make the bucket public to allow all access
Why it's wrong here
Making the bucket public would expose data to everyone, violating security requirements.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume an IAM policy attached to the role is sufficient to override a bucket policy's explicit Deny, but they forget that explicit Deny always wins regardless of the source of the allow.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS IAM evaluates policies in the order: explicit Deny, explicit Allow, and default Deny. An explicit Deny in a resource-based policy (bucket policy) overrides any allow from an identity-based policy (IAM role policy), even if the role is the same account. To resolve this, the developer must either remove the Deny statement or add an explicit Allow for the role in the bucket policy, ensuring the Deny does not apply to that principal.
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 the IAM role explicitly, or remove the Deny statement — The bucket policy contains an explicit Deny that overrides any allow permissions, including those granted by an IAM policy attached to the role. To grant the IAM role read-only access, the developer must either remove the Deny statement or add an explicit Allow for the role in the bucket policy, because an explicit Deny in a resource-based policy cannot be overridden by an identity-based policy.
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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