- A
AWS CloudTrail must be enabled for Config to evaluate policies.
Why wrong: Incorrect: CloudTrail is not required.
- B
The AWS Config rule only checks ACLs, not bucket policies.
Correct: The managed rule checks ACLs only.
- C
The bucket is in a different AWS account.
Why wrong: Incorrect: The rule works per account.
- D
IAM Access Analyzer must be enabled first.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Access Analyzer is separate.
Question 1,490 of 1,748
SCS-C02 Management and Security Governance Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of management and security governance. 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 has an AWS account with multiple S3 buckets that contain sensitive data. The security team wants to ensure that no public access is granted to any bucket. The team has enabled AWS Config and set up a rule to detect public buckets. The rule reports that all buckets are compliant. However, during a security review, a team member finds that one bucket has a bucket policy that grants 's3:GetObject' to 'Principal': '*'. Why did the AWS Config rule not detect this?
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 AWS Config rule only checks ACLs, not bucket policies.
The correct answer is B. The AWS Config managed rule 's3-bucket-public-read-prohibited' only checks for public read access via ACLs, not bucket policies. Therefore, a bucket policy granting 's3:GetObject' to 'Principal': '*' would not be flagged as non-compliant by this rule. To detect public access via bucket policies, a custom AWS Config rule or other mechanisms like IAM Access Analyzer are needed. Option A is incorrect because CloudTrail logs API calls but does not evaluate compliance. Option C is incorrect because the bucket is in the same account as per the scenario. Option D is incorrect because IAM Access Analyzer can analyze policies but does not enforce compliance rules.
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
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail must be enabled for Config to evaluate policies.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: CloudTrail is not required.
- ✓
The AWS Config rule only checks ACLs, not bucket policies.
Why this is correct
Correct: The managed rule checks ACLs only.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
- ✗
The bucket is in a different AWS account.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: The rule works per account.
- ✗
IAM Access Analyzer must be enabled first.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Access Analyzer is separate.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Standard ACLs match source addresses.
- Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
- The first matching ACL entry is used.
- There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
- Check inbound versus outbound direction.
- Read the ACL from top to bottom.
- Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
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
How this comes up in practice
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.
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 |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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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Management and Security Governance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The AWS Config rule only checks ACLs, not bucket policies. — The correct answer is B. The AWS Config managed rule 's3-bucket-public-read-prohibited' only checks for public read access via ACLs, not bucket policies. Therefore, a bucket policy granting 's3:GetObject' to 'Principal': '*' would not be flagged as non-compliant by this rule. To detect public access via bucket policies, a custom AWS Config rule or other mechanisms like IAM Access Analyzer are needed. Option A is incorrect because CloudTrail logs API calls but does not evaluate compliance. Option C is incorrect because the bucket is in the same account as per the scenario. Option D is incorrect because IAM Access Analyzer can analyze policies but does not enforce compliance rules.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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