Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company stores private report PDFs in an S3 bucket. They want users to access PDFs only through CloudFront. Even if someone knows the S3 object URL, direct S3 access must fail. What is the best S3 bucket policy approach?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Keep the bucket private and allow s3:GetObject only to the CloudFront origin access identity (OAI) or origin access control (OAC) principal (optionally restricting with aws:SourceArn for the specific distribution).
CloudFront is granted permission to read the objects from S3 using its OAI/OAC principal. Because no other principals are allowed s3:GetObject, direct requests to the S3 object URL are denied even if the URL is known.
B
Distractor review
Allow s3:GetObject to "Principal": "*" but rely on CloudFront signed URLs to prevent access.
If the S3 bucket allows public (or wildcard) GetObject, anyone can retrieve objects directly from S3. CloudFront signed URLs only restrict access to CloudFront, not direct S3 access.
C
Distractor review
Allow s3:GetObject to the CloudFront distribution using a Condition on aws:SourceIp without restricting the Principal.
S3 bucket policies must authorize via both Principal and conditions. Limiting by SourceIp without a CloudFront-specific principal is not a reliable or correct control for guaranteeing that only CloudFront can read the objects.
D
Distractor review
Only enable default encryption (SSE-KMS) and leave bucket permissions unchanged.
Encryption at rest protects confidentiality, but it does not control who can read objects. Without restrictive bucket policy permissions, users could still download objects directly from S3 (and potentially decrypt/decrypt depending on KMS permissions).
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Authentication checks who the user is.
- Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
- Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
- AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
- Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
- Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
- Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A team needs to distribute TCP traffic (not HTTP) across multiple services. The services must see the original client source IP for auditing. Which AWS load balancer is the best fit?
Question 2
A team wants to run containerized services with AWS-managed orchestration and autoscaling. They do NOT require Kubernetes compatibility. Which AWS service choice is most appropriate to meet these goals?
Question 3
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a IoT ingestion API. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
Question 4
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a claims portal. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
Question 5
A team wants to delegate IAM management to developers, but must ensure developers can never grant themselves permissions beyond a specific limit. Which AWS mechanism best matches this requirement?
Question 6
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a healthcare document service. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Authentication checks who the user is.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Keep the bucket private and allow s3:GetObject only to the CloudFront origin access identity (OAI) or origin access control (OAC) principal (optionally restricting with aws:SourceArn for the specific distribution). — The best practice is to keep the bucket private and explicitly authorize only CloudFront (via OAI or OAC) to perform s3:GetObject. In this design, the bucket policy grants s3:GetObject to the CloudFront OAI/OAC principal (and optionally further restricts with aws:SourceArn to a specific distribution). Because all other principals are denied by default (no public access), direct access to the S3 object URL fails, ensuring users must go through CloudFront. B fails because wildcard/public S3 permissions override the intended access control, regardless of CloudFront signed URLs. C fails because SourceIp conditions do not replace principal-based authorization and cannot guarantee CloudFront-only access. D fails because encryption does not restrict read access; it must be enforced with bucket policy principal/condition controls.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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