- A
The S3 bucket does not have versioning enabled.
Why wrong: Versioning is optional for CloudTrail delivery.
- B
The S3 bucket uses SSE-KMS encryption.
Why wrong: CloudTrail supports SSE-KMS with proper KMS key permissions.
- C
The bucket policy does not grant s3:GetBucketAcl to CloudTrail.
CloudTrail needs GetBucketAcl to verify bucket ownership.
- D
The S3 bucket contains existing objects before CloudTrail delivery started.
Why wrong: Existing objects do not prevent delivery.
Question 1,300 of 1,748
SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 security engineer notices that CloudTrail logs for a production account are not being delivered to the S3 bucket. The bucket policy allows CloudTrail to write objects. What is the MOST likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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 bucket policy does not grant s3:GetBucketAcl to CloudTrail.
CloudTrail requires the `s3:GetBucketAcl` permission on the destination S3 bucket to verify that the bucket policy grants CloudTrail the necessary write access. Without this permission, CloudTrail cannot confirm its ability to deliver logs, even if the bucket policy explicitly allows `s3:PutObject`. This is a prerequisite check performed by CloudTrail before any log delivery occurs.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 S3 bucket does not have versioning enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning is optional for CloudTrail delivery.
- ✗
The S3 bucket uses SSE-KMS encryption.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail supports SSE-KMS with proper KMS key permissions.
- ✓
The bucket policy does not grant s3:GetBucketAcl to CloudTrail.
Why this is correct
CloudTrail needs GetBucketAcl to verify bucket ownership.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The S3 bucket contains existing objects before CloudTrail delivery started.
Why it's wrong here
Existing objects do not prevent delivery.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the only permission needed for CloudTrail to deliver logs is `s3:PutObject`, overlooking the prerequisite `s3:GetBucketAcl` permission that CloudTrail requires to validate the bucket policy before any log delivery can start.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, CloudTrail performs a pre-delivery validation by issuing a `GetBucketAcl` request to the S3 bucket. This is part of the AWS CloudTrail service's internal authorization check to ensure the bucket policy is correctly configured to allow CloudTrail's service principal (`cloudtrail.amazonaws.com`) to write logs. If the bucket policy lacks `s3:GetBucketAcl`, the validation fails, and CloudTrail reports a delivery error, even if `s3:PutObject` is allowed. This behavior is documented in the AWS CloudTrail User Guide under 'Amazon S3 bucket policy for CloudTrail'.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The bucket policy does not grant s3:GetBucketAcl to CloudTrail. — CloudTrail requires the `s3:GetBucketAcl` permission on the destination S3 bucket to verify that the bucket policy grants CloudTrail the necessary write access. Without this permission, CloudTrail cannot confirm its ability to deliver logs, even if the bucket policy explicitly allows `s3:PutObject`. This is a prerequisite check performed by CloudTrail before any log delivery occurs.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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