- A
The bucket is in a different region than the user's default region.
Why wrong: Region does not affect IAM permissions for S3.
- B
An explicit deny statement in the bucket policy.
Explicit denies override any allows.
- C
The bucket is encrypted with AWS KMS.
Why wrong: KMS encryption does not affect ListBucket permissions.
- D
The user has a permissions boundary that does not include s3:ListBucket.
A permissions boundary sets the maximum permissions an IAM user can have. If the boundary does not include s3:ListBucket, the user cannot perform that action, even if their IAM policy allows it. This is a valid cause of denial.
- E
The user's IAM policy does not include s3:ListBucket.
Without the action, the user cannot list the bucket.
Question 1,563 of 1,616
Why s3:ListBucket Is Denied: IAM Policy Missing and Explicit Bucket Policy Deny
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 is troubleshooting an issue where an IAM user cannot perform 's3:ListBucket' on a bucket. Which TWO factors could cause this denial?
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
✓
An explicit deny statement in the bucket policy.
Options B, D, and E can all cause denial of s3:ListBucket. Option B: an explicit deny in a bucket policy overrides any allows. Option D: a permissions boundary defines the maximum permissions for the user; if s3:ListBucket is not included, it is effectively denied even if the user's IAM policy allows it. Option E: if the user's IAM policy does not include s3:ListBucket, they lack the necessary permission.
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 bucket is in a different region than the user's default region.
Why it's wrong here
Region does not affect IAM permissions for S3.
- ✓
An explicit deny statement in the bucket policy.
Why this is correct
Explicit denies override any allows.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The bucket is encrypted with AWS KMS.
Why it's wrong here
KMS encryption does not affect ListBucket permissions.
- ✓
The user has a permissions boundary that does not include s3:ListBucket.
Why this is correct
A permissions boundary sets the maximum permissions an IAM user can have. If the boundary does not include s3:ListBucket, the user cannot perform that action, even if their IAM policy allows it. This is a valid cause of denial.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
The user's IAM policy does not include s3:ListBucket.
Why this is correct
Without the action, the user cannot list the bucket.
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 confuse a permissions boundary with an explicit deny, thinking that a missing allow in the boundary blocks access, when in fact only an explicit deny or the absence of any allow (from all applicable policies) causes denial.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS IAM policy evaluation logic follows an explicit deny override: if any policy (identity-based, resource-based, or boundary) includes an explicit deny for an action, the request is denied regardless of any allows. In contrast, a permissions boundary acts as a ceiling—it does not deny actions by omission; it only prevents allows that exceed its scope. Real-world scenarios often involve cross-account bucket policies where an explicit deny is used to block specific users while allowing others, making it a common troubleshooting point.
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 Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
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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: An explicit deny statement in the bucket policy. — Options B, D, and E can all cause denial of s3:ListBucket. Option B: an explicit deny in a bucket policy overrides any allows. Option D: a permissions boundary defines the maximum permissions for the user; if s3:ListBucket is not included, it is effectively denied even if the user's IAM policy allows it. Option E: if the user's IAM policy does not include s3:ListBucket, they lack the necessary permission.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on DVA-C02
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 is debugging an issue where an IAM user cannot list objects in an S3 bucket. The user has the following IAM policy attached: { "Version": "2012-10-17", "Statement": [ { "Effect": "Allow", "Action": "s3:ListBucket", "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket" } ] }. What is missing?
hard- A.The Resource ARN is incorrect.
- B.The bucket has a bucket policy that denies access.
- C.The user needs to enable S3 ACLs.
- ✓ D.The policy needs to also allow s3:GetObject on the objects.
Why D: The IAM policy only grants the s3:ListBucket permission, which allows listing the objects in the bucket but not reading their contents. To actually list objects, the s3:ListBucket action is sufficient; however, the question implies the user cannot list objects at all. The missing permission is s3:GetObject, which is required to retrieve object metadata and data when using certain S3 operations like GetObject or HeadObject. Without s3:GetObject, the user may fail to list objects if the bucket policy or ACLs require read access for the listing operation to succeed.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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