SCS-C02 Identity and Access Management Practice Question

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.
{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "s3:GetObject",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket/*"
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Deny",
      "Action": "s3:GetObject",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket/confidential/*"
    }
  ]
}

An IAM policy attached to a user contains the above statements. The user attempts to download an object from 'example-bucket/confidential/report.pdf'. What is the result?

⚠ Common exam trap

SCS-C02 often tests the misconception that an Allow statement guarantees access, when the correct rule is that any explicit Deny in any applicable policy overrides all Allows.

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 download fails because the deny statement applies to the object.

The explicit Deny statement in the IAM policy takes precedence over any Allow statement, so even though the first statement allows s3:GetObject, the deny on the confidential prefix blocks the download. AWS evaluates all applicable policies and any explicit Deny wins. Therefore the download fails because the deny statement applies to the object.

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 download fails because the user is not an administrator.
Why it's wrong here
The IAM authorization model does not treat 'administrator' as a special bypass. Permission decisions are made solely by evaluating the user's attached policies and any relevant resource-based policies, and a non-admin can be allowed if an explicit Allow exists. Conversely, an administrator cannot override an explicit Deny, so the failure here is caused by the Deny statement on the object, not by the user's lack of administrative privileges.
✗
The download succeeds because the user can access other objects.
Why it's wrong here
IAM evaluates each request independently for the specific resource ARN being accessed. The fact that the user can successfully access other objects—perhaps through a different policy statement or a broader permissions set—does not create any momentum or permission for this object. The explicit Deny that matches this object's ARN is a separate, decisive policy that cannot be satisfied or outweighed by permissions that exist for unrelated objects.
✗
The download succeeds because the first statement allows GetObject.
Why it's wrong here
In IAM, statement order is irrelevant; AWS does not process statements sequentially or apply a 'last match wins' rule. When a request matches an action and resource, all applicable policies are merged, and if any Deny appears, it overrides every Allow, including an earlier statement's Allow on the same action. The first statement's GetObject permission is therefore completely neutralized by the explicit Deny that also applies to the requested object.
✓
The download fails because the deny statement applies to the object.
Why this is correct
The Deny statement's resource element is scoped to the exact ARN of the requested object, so it matches this specific GetObject call. In IAM's evaluation logic, an explicit Deny that matches the action and resource is an absolute veto: it overrides all Allow statements and default-deny is not even reached. Consequently, the download fails with AccessDenied because the request is explicitly denied, not because of any other condition or lack of permission.

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

SCS-C02 Identity and Access Management Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Related to this question