- A
Disable S3 Block Public Access and add an ACL that grants READ and WRITE to the bucket owner only.
Why wrong: Disabling Block Public Access increases risk of unintended public exposure. ACL-based approaches are also commonly mismanaged and do not address HTTPS or prefix scoping.
- B
Keep Block Public Access enabled, remove any Allow statement to Principal="*", and use a bucket policy or access point policy that denies non-HTTPS requests and allows PutObject/GetObject only when the object key matches the authenticated user's session tag, such as arn:aws:s3:::media-originals/${aws:PrincipalTag/userId}/*.
Block Public Access ensures the bucket cannot become public. A policy that denies non-HTTPS traffic and scopes object ARNs to a session tag or equivalent identity attribute enforces user-specific access without relying on public principals.
- C
Use bucket website hosting and allow public GET requests so presigned URLs are not needed for downloads.
Why wrong: Public website hosting violates the requirement to prevent any public access. It also changes the access pattern and does not resolve the need for secure presigned URL behavior.
- D
Use ACLs to grant ObjectOwner full control and rely on the application to generate presigned URLs with longer expirations to avoid 403 errors.
Why wrong: ACLs are not aligned with the requirement to avoid public access and can introduce permission inconsistencies. Increasing expiration does not address access denied causes like policy conditions or transport enforcement.
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. 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. A key principle to apply: s3 Block Public Access prevents public access at the account or bucket level.. 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 media platform stores originals in an S3 bucket. The application must: (1) prevent any public access to the bucket, (2) allow authenticated users to upload and download objects using presigned URLs, and (3) enforce that all requests use HTTPS and only touch objects under the user-specific prefix (for example, s3://media-originals/user-123/*). The bucket currently allows uploads but sometimes returns 403 AccessDenied for presigned URLs.
Which change is the best fix while meeting the security requirements?
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
Keep Block Public Access enabled, remove any Allow statement to Principal="*", and use a bucket policy or access point policy that denies non-HTTPS requests and allows PutObject/GetObject only when the object key matches the authenticated user's session tag, such as arn:aws:s3:::media-originals/${aws:PrincipalTag/userId}/*.
Option B is correct because it keeps S3 Block Public Access enabled (preventing any public access), uses a bucket policy or access point policy with a condition key like `aws:PrincipalTag` to restrict `PutObject`/`GetObject` to the user-specific prefix (e.g., `arn:aws:s3:::media-originals/${aws:PrincipalTag/userId}/*`), and denies non-HTTPS requests via a `aws:SecureTransport` condition. This ensures presigned URLs work only for authenticated users with the correct session tag, while eliminating the 403 errors caused by overly restrictive policies or missing principal restrictions.
Key principle: S3 Block Public Access prevents public access at the account or bucket level.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disable S3 Block Public Access and add an ACL that grants READ and WRITE to the bucket owner only.
- ✓
Keep Block Public Access enabled, remove any Allow statement to Principal="*", and use a bucket policy or access point policy that denies non-HTTPS requests and allows PutObject/GetObject only when the object key matches the authenticated user's session tag, such as arn:aws:s3:::media-originals/${aws:PrincipalTag/userId}/*.
Why this is correct
Block Public Access ensures the bucket cannot become public. A policy that denies non-HTTPS traffic and scopes object ARNs to a session tag or equivalent identity attribute enforces user-specific access without relying on public principals.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
S3 Block Public Access prevents public access at the account or bucket level.
- ✗
Use bucket website hosting and allow public GET requests so presigned URLs are not needed for downloads.
Why it's wrong here
Public website hosting violates the requirement to prevent any public access. It also changes the access pattern and does not resolve the need for secure presigned URL behavior.
- ✗
Use ACLs to grant ObjectOwner full control and rely on the application to generate presigned URLs with longer expirations to avoid 403 errors.
Why it's wrong here
ACLs are not aligned with the requirement to avoid public access and can introduce permission inconsistencies. Increasing expiration does not address access denied causes like policy conditions or transport enforcement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume presigned URLs bypass all bucket policies, but in reality, presigned URLs are subject to the same bucket policies and IAM permissions as the signing principal, so a missing or overly restrictive policy condition (like not scoping to the user-specific prefix) causes 403 errors.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, presigned URLs are signed with the requester's IAM credentials and inherit the permissions of the IAM user or role that created them. The 403 error often occurs because the bucket policy has an explicit `Deny` for all principals or lacks a condition to match the user-specific prefix. Using `aws:PrincipalTag` in the bucket policy allows dynamic scoping to the authenticated user's session tag (e.g., `userId`), which is set by the application when assuming a role. Additionally, the `aws:SecureTransport` condition ensures HTTPS is enforced, and keeping Block Public Access enabled prevents any accidental public exposure.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- S3 Block Public Access prevents public access at the account or bucket level.
- Bucket policies are the primary method for granular S3 access control.
- Presigned URLs grant temporary, limited access to S3 objects.
- Session tags can be used in policies to enforce user-specific access.
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
S3 Block Public Access prevents public access at the account or bucket level.
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 — S3 Block Public Access prevents public access at the account or bucket level..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Keep Block Public Access enabled, remove any Allow statement to Principal="*", and use a bucket policy or access point policy that denies non-HTTPS requests and allows PutObject/GetObject only when the object key matches the authenticated user's session tag, such as arn:aws:s3:::media-originals/${aws:PrincipalTag/userId}/*. — Option B is correct because it keeps S3 Block Public Access enabled (preventing any public access), uses a bucket policy or access point policy with a condition key like `aws:PrincipalTag` to restrict `PutObject`/`GetObject` to the user-specific prefix (e.g., `arn:aws:s3:::media-originals/${aws:PrincipalTag/userId}/*`), and denies non-HTTPS requests via a `aws:SecureTransport` condition. This ensures presigned URLs work only for authenticated users with the correct session tag, while eliminating the 403 errors caused by overly restrictive policies or missing principal restrictions.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Review s3 Block Public Access prevents public access at the account or bucket level., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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?
S3 Block Public Access prevents public access at the account or bucket level.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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