SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Principal": {
"Service": "cloudtrail.amazonaws.com"
},
"Action": "s3:PutObject",
"Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::my-bucket/AWSLogs/123456789012/*"
}
]
}Refer to the exhibit. A security engineer created this S3 bucket policy to allow CloudTrail to deliver logs. However, log delivery is failing. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often focus on encryption (SSE-KMS) or region mismatches as common failure points, but AWS specifically tests the requirement for `s3:GetBucketAcl` in CloudTrail bucket policies, which is a less intuitive but mandatory permission for the service to validate access.
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 allow s3:GetBucketAcl
CloudTrail requires the S3 bucket policy to grant the `s3:GetBucketAcl` permission to the CloudTrail service principal (`cloudtrail.amazonaws.com`) so that it can verify the bucket's ACL before delivering logs. Without this permission, CloudTrail cannot confirm it has write access, causing log delivery to fail. The missing `s3:GetBucketAcl` action is the most likely cause because the policy must explicitly allow both `s3:PutObject` and `s3:GetBucketAcl` for the service to function.
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 bucket is not in the same region as the trail
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region delivery is supported.
- ✗
The bucket policy does not specify a condition
Why it's wrong here
Conditions are optional.
- ✗
The bucket is encrypted with SSE-KMS
Why it's wrong here
SSE-KMS requires additional permissions but policy missing GetBucketAcl is more likely.
- ✓
The bucket policy does not allow s3:GetBucketAcl
Why this is correct
CloudTrail needs GetBucketAcl to verify bucket ownership.
Visual reference
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 |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SCS-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SCS-C02 exam.