This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. 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 wants to restrict access to an S3 bucket so that only requests from a specific VPC are allowed. Which policy type should be used?
IAM policy
Why wrong: IAM policies are identity-based, not network-based.
Network ACL
Why wrong: NACLs apply to subnets, not S3.
VPC Endpoint policy
Why wrong: This controls what actions can be performed via the endpoint, not source VPC.
S3 bucket policy with aws:SourceVpc condition
This condition restricts access to requests originating from a specific VPC.
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 bucket policy with aws:SourceVpc condition
Option B is correct because an S3 bucket policy with a condition for aws:SourceVpc can restrict access to a VPC. Option A is wrong because IAM policies grant permissions to users, not network restrictions. Option C is wrong because VPC Endpoint policies control actions on the endpoint, not the bucket. Option D is wrong because NACLs are for subnets, not S3.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
IAM policy
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies are identity-based, not network-based.
Network ACL
Why it's wrong here
NACLs apply to subnets, not S3.
VPC Endpoint policy
Why it's wrong here
This controls what actions can be performed via the endpoint, not source VPC.
S3 bucket policy with aws:SourceVpc condition
Why this is correct
This condition restricts access to requests originating from a specific VPC.
Related concept
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Common exam traps
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
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 block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related SCS-C02 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
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FAQ
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
The correct answer is: S3 bucket policy with aws:SourceVpc condition — Option B is correct because an S3 bucket policy with a condition for aws:SourceVpc can restrict access to a VPC. Option A is wrong because IAM policies grant permissions to users, not network restrictions. Option C is wrong because VPC Endpoint policies control actions on the endpoint, not the bucket. Option D is wrong because NACLs are for subnets, not S3.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related SCS-C02 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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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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