PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
An SAP administrator needs to provide temporary, time-limited access to an S3 bucket containing SAP backup files for an external auditor. The auditor should be able to download files from the bucket. Which method provides the most secure way to grant access?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers choose Option A (IAM user) because it seems like a standard access control method, but they overlook the requirement for temporary, time-limited access and the security risks of sharing long-term credentials with an external party.
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
✓
Generate a presigned URL for each file the auditor needs to download.
Presigned URLs grant temporary, time-limited access to specific S3 objects without requiring the auditor to have AWS credentials or any permanent permissions. The SAP administrator can generate a presigned URL for each backup file, set an expiration time, and share the URL with the auditor, who can then download the file using standard HTTP GET requests. This approach follows the principle of least privilege and ensures access is revoked automatically after the URL expires.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create an IAM user with read-only access to the bucket and share the credentials with the auditor.
Why it's wrong here
Credentials are long-lived and not temporary.
- ✗
Provide the auditor with the root user credentials of the AWS account.
Why it's wrong here
Sharing root credentials is a severe security risk.
- ✗
Make the bucket publicly readable and share the bucket URL.
Why it's wrong here
Public access is insecure and not time-limited.
- ✓
Generate a presigned URL for each file the auditor needs to download.
Why this is correct
Presigned URLs are time-limited and scoped to specific objects.
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.