The answer is that the bucket policy restricts access to a specific account only, which is the most likely issue. This is because a cross-account S3 bucket policy for log delivery must grant permissions to the source account that owns the logs, not just to the IAM role in the logging account. When logs originate from a different AWS account—such as an AWS service like CloudTrail or a separate application account—the bucket policy must explicitly allow the source account’s root or service principal to write objects, or the policy will silently fail. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this tests your understanding of the difference between resource-based policies (bucket policies) and identity-based policies (IAM roles), and how they interact across accounts. A common trap is assuming that allowing a specific IAM role is sufficient, but the bucket policy must also authorize the account that initiates the request. Memory tip: think “source account first, then role”—the bucket policy must name the account that owns the log data, not just the delivery role.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. 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.
Network Topology
A company uses a cross-account IAM role 'LogDelivery' in account 111122223333 to write logs to an S3 bucket 'my-company-logs' in a logging account. The bucket policy is shown above. Logs are not being delivered. What is the MOST likely issue?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The bucket policy restricts access to a specific account only.
Option D is correct because the bucket policy only allows the LogDelivery role from account 111122223333, but the logs may be coming from a different account (e.g., the source account of the logs). Option A is wrong because the policy does not deny, it allows. Option B is wrong because the policy is correct for the given role. Option C is wrong because the policy allows PutObject, not GetObject.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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 policy lacks s3:GetObject permission.
Why it's wrong here
PutObject is sufficient for writing logs.
✓
The bucket policy restricts access to a specific account only.
Why this is correct
The resource pattern includes account 111122223333, so logs from other accounts would be denied.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
✗
The IAM role is not trusted by the bucket policy.
Why it's wrong here
The bucket policy trusts the role ARN directly.
✗
The bucket policy has an explicit deny that overrides the allow.
Why it's wrong here
There is no deny statement in the policy.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
The first matching ACL entry is used.
There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
→Check inbound versus outbound direction.
→Read the ACL from top to bottom.
→Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
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.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SAP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The bucket policy restricts access to a specific account only. — Option D is correct because the bucket policy only allows the LogDelivery role from account 111122223333, but the logs may be coming from a different account (e.g., the source account of the logs). Option A is wrong because the policy does not deny, it allows. Option B is wrong because the policy is correct for the given role. Option C is wrong because the policy allows PutObject, not GetObject.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SAP-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
About these practice questions
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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 security engineer created the above bucket policy on the central-logging-bucket in account 111111111111. They want account 222222222222 to deliver CloudTrail logs to this bucket. What is missing?
medium
A.The prefix AWSLogs/111111111111 is incorrect; it should use the source account ID 222222222222.
B.The role CrossAccountRole does not exist in account 222222222222.
✓ C.The bucket policy must grant s3:PutObject to the CloudTrail service principal, not to a role.
D.The bucket must be in the same account as CloudTrail.
Why C: The bucket policy grants PutObject to a specific role, but CloudTrail requires a bucket policy that grants PutObject to the CloudTrail service principal for cross-account delivery. Option A is wrong because the role exists. Option C is wrong because bucket already exists. Option D is wrong because the prefix is correct for CloudTrail.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.
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