- A
Enable S3 static website hosting
Why wrong: Website hosting requires public-style access patterns and does not protect the origin.
- B
Use an S3 bucket policy that allows access only from the CloudFront distribution
The bucket policy should trust the CloudFront distribution and deny direct public access.
- C
Configure Origin Access Control for the S3 origin
Origin Access Control allows CloudFront to securely access a private S3 bucket.
- D
Enable CloudFront standard logging
Why wrong: Logging records requests but does not block direct S3 access.
Question 572 of 1,040
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. 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 B2B file exchange site uses CloudFront in front of an S3 origin. Which two settings help keep users from bypassing CloudFront and accessing the bucket directly?
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 an S3 bucket policy that allows access only from the CloudFront distribution
Option B is correct because an S3 bucket policy that explicitly denies access to any principal except the CloudFront distribution's origin access identity (OAI) or origin access control (OAC) ensures that direct requests to the S3 bucket are blocked. This policy uses the `aws:SourceArn` or `aws:SourceAccount` condition key to restrict access exclusively to the CloudFront service, preventing users from bypassing CloudFront and accessing the bucket directly via its S3 endpoint.
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 S3 static website hosting
Why it's wrong here
Website hosting requires public-style access patterns and does not protect the origin.
- ✓
Use an S3 bucket policy that allows access only from the CloudFront distribution
Why this is correct
The bucket policy should trust the CloudFront distribution and deny direct public access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Configure Origin Access Control for the S3 origin
Why this is correct
Origin Access Control allows CloudFront to securely access a private S3 bucket.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable CloudFront standard logging
Why it's wrong here
Logging records requests but does not block direct S3 access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse enabling S3 static website hosting (Option A) as a security measure, when in fact it opens a separate direct access endpoint, or they overlook that Origin Access Control (Option C) alone is insufficient without a corresponding bucket policy to enforce the restriction.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Origin Access Control (OAC) uses AWS Signature Version 4 (SigV4) to sign requests from CloudFront to S3, replacing the legacy Origin Access Identity (OAI) that relied on a special principal. The bucket policy must include a condition like `aws:SourceArn` matching the CloudFront distribution ARN to prevent unauthorized direct access. In a real-world scenario, if the bucket policy is misconfigured to allow `s3:GetObject` for `Principal: "*"`, any user with the bucket URL can download objects, bypassing CloudFront's caching and security features.
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 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 an S3 bucket policy that allows access only from the CloudFront distribution — Option B is correct because an S3 bucket policy that explicitly denies access to any principal except the CloudFront distribution's origin access identity (OAI) or origin access control (OAC) ensures that direct requests to the S3 bucket are blocked. This policy uses the `aws:SourceArn` or `aws:SourceAccount` condition key to restrict access exclusively to the CloudFront service, preventing users from bypassing CloudFront and accessing the bucket directly via its S3 endpoint.
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.
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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