PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": "s3:PutObject",
"Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::my-bucket/backups/*",
"Condition": {
"StringEquals": {
"s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption": "aws:kms"
}
}
}
]
}An SAP administrator created an IAM policy to allow an EC2 instance to upload backups to an S3 bucket. The policy is shown in the exhibit. However, the backup job fails with an access denied error. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume the access denied error is due to missing IAM permissions (Option D) or incorrect ARN syntax (Option C), rather than recognizing that the policy's condition key enforces a specific request header that the backup job fails to include.
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
✓
The policy requires server-side encryption with KMS, but the backup job does not include the required encryption header
The IAM policy includes the `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` condition key set to `aws:kms`, which enforces server-side encryption with KMS (SSE-KMS) for all `s3:PutObject` requests. If the backup job does not include the `x-amz-server-side-encryption: aws:kms` header in its PUT request, S3 will deny the request with an access denied error, even if the IAM role has the necessary permissions.
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 KMS key policy does not grant the EC2 instance permission to use the key
Why it's wrong here
The policy does not reference a specific KMS key; it only requires the header.
- ✓
The policy requires server-side encryption with KMS, but the backup job does not include the required encryption header
Why this is correct
The condition requires the encryption header, which may be missing.
- ✗
The resource ARN is incorrect because it does not include the bucket name correctly
Why it's wrong here
The ARN is correctly formatted for the bucket and prefix.
- ✗
The IAM role does not have permission to call s3:PutObject
Why it's wrong here
The policy explicitly allows s3:PutObject.
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 |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PAS-C01 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 PAS-C01 exam.