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Question 180 of 1,748

Identity and Access Management →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SCS-C02 Identity and Access Management Practice Question

This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of identity and access management. 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 security architect is designing a system where an S3 bucket must be accessed by users from multiple AWS accounts. The solution must use the principle of least privilege. Which approach should be used?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

A
Create an IAM role in the bucket owner account and use a bucket policy that grants access to the role
Users assume the role and get temporary credentials; bucket policy allows the role.
B
Grant s3:ListBucket and s3:GetObject to all IAM users in the account
Why wrong: Too permissive and not cross-account.
C
Use an SCP to allow access to the bucket for all accounts in the organization
Why wrong: SCPs are control policies, not for granting direct access.
D
Use an IAM role in each account with a bucket policy allowing the role
Why wrong: Each account needs a role, but bucket policy still needs to trust those roles.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Create an IAM role in the bucket owner account and use a bucket policy that grants access to the role

The recommended approach for cross-account access to an S3 bucket while adhering to least privilege is to create an IAM role in the bucket owner account and attach a bucket policy that grants the necessary permissions to that role. Users from other AWS accounts can then assume this role to access the bucket, ensuring that access is temporary and centrally managed. Option A is correct. Option B is incorrect because granting s3:ListBucket and s3:GetObject to all IAM users violates least privilege. Option C is incorrect because SCPs are used for service control policies at the organization level, not for granting access to specific resources across accounts. Option D is incorrect because creating IAM roles in each account with a bucket policy allowing the role decentralizes permissions and does not enforce the principle of least privilege as effectively as the centralized role approach.

Key principle: Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✓
Create an IAM role in the bucket owner account and use a bucket policy that grants access to the role
Why this is correct
Users assume the role and get temporary credentials; bucket policy allows the role.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Authentication checks who the user is.
✗
Grant s3:ListBucket and s3:GetObject to all IAM users in the account
Why it's wrong here
Too permissive and not cross-account.
✗
Use an SCP to allow access to the bucket for all accounts in the organization
Why it's wrong here
SCPs are control policies, not for granting direct access.
✗
Use an IAM role in each account with a bucket policy allowing the role
Why it's wrong here
Each account needs a role, but bucket policy still needs to trust those roles.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization

Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Authentication checks who the user is.
Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.

TExam Day Tips

Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.

Key takeaway

Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.

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 Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related SCS-C02 questions on access control and AAA configuration.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SCS-C02 question test?

Identity and Access Management — This question tests Identity and Access Management — Authentication checks who the user is..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Create an IAM role in the bucket owner account and use a bucket policy that grants access to the role — The recommended approach for cross-account access to an S3 bucket while adhering to least privilege is to create an IAM role in the bucket owner account and attach a bucket policy that grants the necessary permissions to that role. Users from other AWS accounts can then assume this role to access the bucket, ensuring that access is temporary and centrally managed. Option A is correct. Option B is incorrect because granting s3:ListBucket and s3:GetObject to all IAM users violates least privilege. Option C is incorrect because SCPs are used for service control policies at the organization level, not for granting access to specific resources across accounts. Option D is incorrect because creating IAM roles in each account with a bucket policy allowing the role decentralizes permissions and does not enforce the principle of least privilege as effectively as the centralized role approach.

What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Authentication checks who the user is.

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