This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of data protection. 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 company stores sensitive data in Amazon S3 and requires that objects are automatically encrypted using server-side encryption with AWS KMS. The bucket policy must deny any PUT request that does not include the x-amz-server-side-encryption header with value aws:kms. Which bucket policy condition key should be used?
s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption
This condition key evaluates the encryption header in PUT requests.
aws:SourceIp
Why wrong: This restricts based on IP address, not encryption header.
aws:RequestedRegion
Why wrong: This restricts to a specific AWS region.
kms:EncryptionContext
Why wrong: This is used in KMS key policies, not S3 bucket policies for encryption header.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption
The condition key s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption can be used to check the header value. Condition key aws:SourceIp is for source IP; aws:RequestedRegion is for region; kms:EncryptionContext is for KMS encryption context. Option A is correct.
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
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption
Why this is correct
This condition key evaluates the encryption header in PUT requests.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
aws:SourceIp
Why it's wrong here
This restricts based on IP address, not encryption header.
aws:RequestedRegion
Why it's wrong here
This restricts to a specific AWS region.
kms:EncryptionContext
Why it's wrong here
This is used in KMS key policies, not S3 bucket policies for encryption header.
Common exam traps
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
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
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
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 SCS-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
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FAQ
Data Protection — This question tests Data Protection — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
The correct answer is: s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption — The condition key s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption can be used to check the header value. Condition key aws:SourceIp is for source IP; aws:RequestedRegion is for region; kms:EncryptionContext is for KMS encryption context. Option A is correct.
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 SCS-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This SCS-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 SCS-C02 exam.
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