- A
Remove the IAM role from the EC2 instances and instead use resource-based policies on the S3 bucket and RDS instance to grant access to the EC2 instances' VPC or subnet.
Why wrong: Resource-based policies for RDS do not support granting access to EC2 instances by VPC; also, S3 bucket policies can be used but are not a replacement for IAM roles in this scenario.
- B
Create an IAM user with the required permissions, generate access keys, and store them in a secure S3 bucket. Have the EC2 instances retrieve the credentials at startup using an instance profile.
Why wrong: Storing long-term credentials on EC2 is insecure and not recommended; using an instance profile is the correct approach.
- C
Update the IAM role to have two policies: one that allows s3:PutObject on the specific S3 bucket with a prefix, and another that allows rds:Connect on the specific RDS instance ARN with a condition requiring rds:ForceSsl. Also, ensure the RDS instance requires SSL.
This follows the principle of least privilege by scoping permissions to specific resources and enforcing SSL.
- D
Create a single IAM policy that allows s3:PutObject on the specific bucket and rds:Connect on the specific RDS instance without any conditions. Attach it to the IAM role.
Why wrong: Missing the SSL enforcement, which is a security requirement.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to update the IAM role with two separate policies: one granting s3:PutObject on the specific S3 bucket with a prefix, and another granting rds:Connect on the specific RDS instance ARN with a condition requiring rds:ForceSsl, while also ensuring the RDS instance itself enforces SSL. This enforces least privilege IAM policies for EC2 instances by scoping permissions to the exact resources and actions needed, and it adds a critical security layer by mandating encrypted connections to the database. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to combine resource-level restrictions with condition keys for transport security—a common trap is choosing a single policy with wildcards or relying solely on resource-based policies, which fail to enforce SSL or grant the EC2 role the necessary permissions. Remember the mnemonic: "Two policies, one condition: PutObject on the bucket, Connect with SSL."
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 company runs a multi-tier web application on AWS. The application consists of an Application Load Balancer (ALB) that distributes traffic to a fleet of EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. The EC2 instances need to read from an Amazon RDS MySQL database and write logs to an S3 bucket. The security team wants to ensure that the EC2 instances have only the minimum required permissions. Currently, the EC2 instances are launched with an IAM role that has an attached policy allowing full S3 access (s3:*) and full RDS access (rds:*). The security team has identified that this is overly permissive and wants to restrict access to only the specific resources needed. Additionally, the team wants to ensure that the EC2 instances can only access the RDS database using SSL/TLS. Which combination of actions should the security team take?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Update the IAM role to have two policies: one that allows s3:PutObject on the specific S3 bucket with a prefix, and another that allows rds:Connect on the specific RDS instance ARN with a condition requiring rds:ForceSsl. Also, ensure the RDS instance requires SSL.
Option B is correct. It creates separate policies for S3 and RDS, restricts S3 to the specific bucket and prefix, and restricts RDS to the specific resource and enforces SSL. Option A is wrong because using an IAM user and storing credentials on EC2 is insecure. Option C is wrong because using a single policy with wildcards is still overly permissive and does not enforce SSL. Option D is wrong because resource-based policies on the S3 bucket and RDS instance would not be sufficient without the IAM role permissions; also, S3 bucket policies are not the primary method for granting EC2 access.
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
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Remove the IAM role from the EC2 instances and instead use resource-based policies on the S3 bucket and RDS instance to grant access to the EC2 instances' VPC or subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Resource-based policies for RDS do not support granting access to EC2 instances by VPC; also, S3 bucket policies can be used but are not a replacement for IAM roles in this scenario.
- ✗
Create an IAM user with the required permissions, generate access keys, and store them in a secure S3 bucket. Have the EC2 instances retrieve the credentials at startup using an instance profile.
Why it's wrong here
Storing long-term credentials on EC2 is insecure and not recommended; using an instance profile is the correct approach.
- ✓
Update the IAM role to have two policies: one that allows s3:PutObject on the specific S3 bucket with a prefix, and another that allows rds:Connect on the specific RDS instance ARN with a condition requiring rds:ForceSsl. Also, ensure the RDS instance requires SSL.
- ✗
Create a single IAM policy that allows s3:PutObject on the specific bucket and rds:Connect on the specific RDS instance without any conditions. Attach it to the IAM role.
Why it's wrong here
Missing the SSL enforcement, which is a security requirement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Resource-based policies for RDS do not support granting access to EC2 instances by VPC; also, S3 bucket policies can be used but are not a replacement for IAM roles in this scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
- Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
- Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
- The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
- Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
- Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
- Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
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
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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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Identity and Access Management — study guide chapter
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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 — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Update the IAM role to have two policies: one that allows s3:PutObject on the specific S3 bucket with a prefix, and another that allows rds:Connect on the specific RDS instance ARN with a condition requiring rds:ForceSsl. Also, ensure the RDS instance requires SSL. — Option B is correct. It creates separate policies for S3 and RDS, restricts S3 to the specific bucket and prefix, and restricts RDS to the specific resource and enforces SSL. Option A is wrong because using an IAM user and storing credentials on EC2 is insecure. Option C is wrong because using a single policy with wildcards is still overly permissive and does not enforce SSL. Option D is wrong because resource-based policies on the S3 bucket and RDS instance would not be sufficient without the IAM role permissions; also, S3 bucket policies are not the primary method for granting EC2 access.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on SCS-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company hosts a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. The application accesses an S3 bucket to store user uploads. The security team needs to ensure that the EC2 instances can access the S3 bucket without storing AWS credentials on the instances. What should the security team do?
medium- A.Create an IAM user with programmatic access and use those credentials in the application.
- B.Configure a security group that allows outbound traffic to the S3 bucket.
- ✓ C.Create an IAM role with an S3 access policy and attach it to the EC2 instance profile.
- D.Store AWS access keys in a configuration file on the EC2 instances.
Why C: Option C is correct because an IAM instance profile with an IAM role grants temporary credentials to EC2 instances. Option A is wrong because storing credentials on instances is insecure. Option B is wrong because it's not a best practice. Option D is wrong because security groups do not grant access to S3.
Variation 2. An application running on an EC2 instance needs to read from an S3 bucket. What is the BEST practice for granting permissions to the EC2 instance?
easy- A.Store AWS access keys in the application code.
- B.Create an IAM user and give access keys to the developer.
- ✓ C.Use an IAM role and attach it to the EC2 instance profile.
- D.Use the root account credentials.
Why C: Using an IAM role attached to the EC2 instance is the secure and recommended way to grant permissions to applications on EC2.
Variation 3. A solutions architect needs to design a system where an EC2 instance can write logs to CloudWatch Logs. Which IAM entity should be used to grant permissions to the EC2 instance?
easy- A.A resource-based policy on the EC2 instance
- ✓ B.An IAM role with an instance profile
- C.An IAM user with access keys stored on the instance
- D.An IAM group
Why B: An IAM role with an instance profile is the correct approach because it allows the EC2 instance to assume temporary, rotated credentials via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). The instance profile is attached to the EC2 instance, and the AWS SDK or CLI automatically retrieves credentials from the instance metadata service (IMDS) to authenticate API calls to CloudWatch Logs. This eliminates the need to store long-term credentials on the instance and follows the principle of least privilege.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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