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Development with AWS Services →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Why Your S3 Bucket Policy Fails: Account-Level Block Public Access

This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of development with aws services. 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.

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.
{
  "AWSTemplateFormatVersion": "2010-09-09",
  "Resources": {
    "MyBucket": {
      "Type": "AWS::S3::Bucket",
      "Properties": {
        "BucketName": "my-app-data-123",
        "VersioningConfiguration": {
          "Status": "Enabled"
        }
      }
    },
    "MyBucketPolicy": {
      "Type": "AWS::S3::BucketPolicy",
      "Properties": {
        "Bucket": { "Ref": "MyBucket" },
        "PolicyDocument": {
          "Version": "2012-10-17",
          "Statement": [
            {
              "Effect": "Allow",
              "Principal": "*",
              "Action": "s3:GetObject",
              "Resource": { "Fn::Sub": "${MyBucket.Arn}/*" }
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Refer to the exhibit. A developer creates a CloudFormation stack with the template. After the stack is created, the developer tries to access https://my-app-data-123.s3.amazonaws.com/index.html but gets a 403 Forbidden error. The S3 bucket has public access blocked at the account level. What should the developer do to allow public read access?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.
{
  "AWSTemplateFormatVersion": "2010-09-09",
  "Resources": {
    "MyBucket": {
      "Type": "AWS::S3::Bucket",
      "Properties": {
        "BucketName": "my-app-data-123",
        "VersioningConfiguration": {
          "Status": "Enabled"
        }
      }
    },
    "MyBucketPolicy": {
      "Type": "AWS::S3::BucketPolicy",
      "Properties": {
        "Bucket": { "Ref": "MyBucket" },
        "PolicyDocument": {
          "Version": "2012-10-17",
          "Statement": [
            {
              "Effect": "Allow",
              "Principal": "*",
              "Action": "s3:GetObject",
              "Resource": { "Fn::Sub": "${MyBucket.Arn}/*" }
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

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

✓

Disable the block public access settings at the account level.

The 403 Forbidden error occurs because the S3 bucket's public access is blocked at the account level, which overrides any bucket-level policies or ACLs. Disabling the block public access settings at the account level is necessary to allow the bucket policy to grant public read access to objects. Without this step, even a permissive bucket policy will be ineffective because the account-level block explicitly denies all public access.

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 static website hosting on the bucket.

    Why it's wrong here

    Does not override account block.

  • ✗

    Modify the bucket policy to include the AWS account ID as Principal.

    Why it's wrong here

    Account block still applies.

  • ✗

    Add a bucket policy that grants s3:ListBucket.

    Why it's wrong here

    ListBucket is not needed for GetObject; the issue is account block.

  • ✓

    Disable the block public access settings at the account level.

    Why this is correct

    Account-level block prevents public access despite bucket policy.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often assume a bucket policy alone can grant public access, forgetting that account-level block public access settings act as a higher-priority deny that overrides all bucket-level permissions.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

AWS S3 block public access settings operate at both the account and bucket levels, with account-level settings acting as a hard override that cannot be bypassed by bucket policies or ACLs. When account-level block public access is enabled, any bucket policy that grants public access (e.g., with Principal "*") is evaluated as denied, resulting in a 403 error. In real-world scenarios, organizations often enable account-level block public access as a security baseline, and developers must explicitly disable it for specific buckets that require public access, while ensuring compliance with security policies.

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.

Quick reference

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Storage ClassMin DurationRetrievalUse Case
S3 StandardNoneImmediateFrequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA30 daysImmediateInfrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA30 daysImmediateNon-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-TieringNoneImmediate–hoursUnknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant90 daysMillisecondsArchive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible90 daysMinutes–hoursArchive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive180 daysHoursLong-term compliance archive

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DVA-C02 question test?

Development with AWS Services — This question tests Development with AWS Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Disable the block public access settings at the account level. — The 403 Forbidden error occurs because the S3 bucket's public access is blocked at the account level, which overrides any bucket-level policies or ACLs. Disabling the block public access settings at the account level is necessary to allow the bucket policy to grant public read access to objects. Without this step, even a permissive bucket policy will be ineffective because the account-level block explicitly denies all public access.

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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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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.