The correct answer is that the bucket policy grants public read access, which overrides the PublicAccessBlock configuration. This happens because PublicAccessBlock settings prevent new public policies from being attached, but they do not retroactively block an existing bucket policy that explicitly allows public access via `Effect: Allow` and `Principal: *` for `s3:GetObject`. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the interaction between bucket policies and PublicAccessBlock—a common trap is assuming PublicAccessBlock is an absolute guarantee of privacy, when in fact a pre-existing or directly attached policy can still grant public access. Remember that PublicAccessBlock acts as a gatekeeper for new policies, not a retroactive shield for existing ones. A useful memory tip: “Policy beats block when the block is on the clock”—meaning if the policy is already in place when PublicAccessBlock is enabled, the policy’s permissions still apply.
SCS-C02 Threat Detection and Incident Response Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of threat detection and incident response. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. A security engineer reviews this CloudFormation template. The bucket is intended to be private. What is the security issue in the configuration?
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 grants public read access to the bucket, which overrides the PublicAccessBlock configuration.
Option C is correct because the bucket policy explicitly grants public read access (Effect: Allow, Principal: *, Action: s3:GetObject), which overrides the PublicAccessBlock configuration when the policy is applied. PublicAccessBlock settings block new public policies but do not retroactively block existing policies that grant public access; the bucket policy takes precedence and makes the bucket publicly readable despite the intended private configuration.
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 PublicAccessBlock configuration is missing the BlockPublicPolicy setting.
Why it's wrong here
BlockPublicPolicy is set to true.
✗
The bucket does not have versioning enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning is not related to public access.
✓
The bucket policy grants public read access to the bucket, which overrides the PublicAccessBlock configuration.
Why this is correct
PublicAccessBlock blocks public policies but not if the policy is applied directly and explicitly allows public access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The bucket policy uses an incorrect resource ARN.
Why it's wrong here
The resource ARN is correct.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume PublicAccessBlock settings automatically prevent any public access, but they do not override an existing bucket policy that explicitly grants public access; the policy is evaluated first and takes effect.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The PublicAccessBlock settings are evaluated at the bucket level and can block new public policies or ACLs, but they do not automatically remove or override existing bucket policies that grant public access; the policy is applied first, and the block settings only prevent future modifications that would make the bucket public. In this template, the bucket policy is created in the same stack, so the policy is applied after the PublicAccessBlock is set, but the block settings do not retroactively invalidate the policy—they only block new public policies from being added later. A real-world scenario is a misconfigured CI/CD pipeline that deploys a bucket policy granting public access alongside PublicAccessBlock, leading to unintended exposure because the block settings do not reject the policy during stack creation.
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.
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.
Threat Detection and Incident Response — This question tests Threat Detection and Incident Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The bucket policy grants public read access to the bucket, which overrides the PublicAccessBlock configuration. — Option C is correct because the bucket policy explicitly grants public read access (Effect: Allow, Principal: *, Action: s3:GetObject), which overrides the PublicAccessBlock configuration when the policy is applied. PublicAccessBlock settings block new public policies but do not retroactively block existing policies that grant public access; the bucket policy takes precedence and makes the bucket publicly readable despite the intended private configuration.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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