- A
Attach an AWS WAF Web ACL to CloudFront and allow public reads on the S3 bucket so WAF can block direct object access.
Why wrong: WAF evaluates requests that arrive at CloudFront; it does not control access to objects requested directly from S3 using the S3 endpoint. If the bucket allows public reads, anyone who knows the object URL can download it without passing through CloudFront/WAF.
- B
Use CloudFront Origin Access Control (OAC) and update the bucket policy to allow s3:GetObject only when the principal is cloudfront.amazonaws.com and aws:SourceArn equals the CloudFront distribution ARN.
With OAC, CloudFront signs requests to S3 using an AWS-managed identity (the cloudfront.amazonaws.com service principal). A bucket policy that allows s3:GetObject only when AWS:SourceArn matches your specific CloudFront distribution ARN ensures the bucket is not readable from S3 by other principals. Direct S3 requests from users do not present the required CloudFront context, so they are denied at S3 authorization time.
- C
Create IAM users with s3:GetObject permissions and share the IAM credentials with customers so they can fetch objects directly from S3.
Why wrong: Providing customers with long-lived credentials violates least-privilege and significantly increases the blast radius of any credential leak. It also does not prevent direct S3 access; customers would still be able to call the S3 endpoint directly.
- D
Enable S3 static website hosting on the bucket and use the S3 website endpoint as the CloudFront origin so access controls can be enforced at CloudFront.
Why wrong: S3 static website endpoints do not support the same access control model as S3 REST endpoints used with OAC. As a result, this commonly leads to weaker origin protection and does not provide the strict origin authorization guarantees that bucket policies + OAC provide for private content.
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 stores private customer documents in an S3 bucket. They want only CloudFront to be able to read objects from the bucket (no direct S3 URL access), even if the bucket name and object key are known. Which configuration best meets this requirement?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
Use CloudFront Origin Access Control (OAC) and update the bucket policy to allow s3:GetObject only when the principal is cloudfront.amazonaws.com and aws:SourceArn equals the CloudFront distribution ARN.
Option B is correct because CloudFront Origin Access Control (OAC) allows you to restrict S3 bucket access exclusively to CloudFront. By configuring the bucket policy to allow s3:GetObject only when the principal is cloudfront.amazonaws.com and the aws:SourceArn matches the CloudFront distribution ARN, you ensure that direct S3 URL requests are denied, even if the bucket name and object key are known. This prevents any unauthorized direct access to the S3 bucket.
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.
- ✗
Attach an AWS WAF Web ACL to CloudFront and allow public reads on the S3 bucket so WAF can block direct object access.
Why it's wrong here
WAF evaluates requests that arrive at CloudFront; it does not control access to objects requested directly from S3 using the S3 endpoint. If the bucket allows public reads, anyone who knows the object URL can download it without passing through CloudFront/WAF.
- ✓
Use CloudFront Origin Access Control (OAC) and update the bucket policy to allow s3:GetObject only when the principal is cloudfront.amazonaws.com and aws:SourceArn equals the CloudFront distribution ARN.
Why this is correct
With OAC, CloudFront signs requests to S3 using an AWS-managed identity (the cloudfront.amazonaws.com service principal). A bucket policy that allows s3:GetObject only when AWS:SourceArn matches your specific CloudFront distribution ARN ensures the bucket is not readable from S3 by other principals. Direct S3 requests from users do not present the required CloudFront context, so they are denied at S3 authorization time.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create IAM users with s3:GetObject permissions and share the IAM credentials with customers so they can fetch objects directly from S3.
Why it's wrong here
Providing customers with long-lived credentials violates least-privilege and significantly increases the blast radius of any credential leak. It also does not prevent direct S3 access; customers would still be able to call the S3 endpoint directly.
- ✗
Enable S3 static website hosting on the bucket and use the S3 website endpoint as the CloudFront origin so access controls can be enforced at CloudFront.
Why it's wrong here
S3 static website endpoints do not support the same access control model as S3 REST endpoints used with OAC. As a result, this commonly leads to weaker origin protection and does not provide the strict origin authorization guarantees that bucket policies + OAC provide for private content.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse CloudFront's ability to cache content with its ability to enforce access control, mistakenly thinking that enabling static website hosting or using WAF alone can prevent direct S3 access, when in fact only Origin Access Control (or OAI) with a properly scoped bucket policy can achieve this.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudFront Origin Access Control (OAC) replaces the older Origin Access Identity (OAI) and uses AWS Signature Version 4 (SigV4) to sign requests from CloudFront to S3, providing stronger security. The bucket policy condition aws:SourceArn ensures that only requests originating from the specific CloudFront distribution are allowed, preventing other AWS accounts or services from using the same principal. This mechanism relies on the CloudFront distribution's ARN being unique and immutable, which is critical for enforcing least-privilege 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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Secure Architectures — This question tests Design Secure Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use CloudFront Origin Access Control (OAC) and update the bucket policy to allow s3:GetObject only when the principal is cloudfront.amazonaws.com and aws:SourceArn equals the CloudFront distribution ARN. — Option B is correct because CloudFront Origin Access Control (OAC) allows you to restrict S3 bucket access exclusively to CloudFront. By configuring the bucket policy to allow s3:GetObject only when the principal is cloudfront.amazonaws.com and the aws:SourceArn matches the CloudFront distribution ARN, you ensure that direct S3 URL requests are denied, even if the bucket name and object key are known. This prevents any unauthorized direct access to the S3 bucket.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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