The answer is that the key policy does not allow the IAM user to perform any action, making the IAM permissions alone insufficient. This is because AWS KMS operates with a dual-authorization model: for a customer managed key, the key policy must explicitly grant access to a principal, or it must include a statement allowing the account’s IAM policies to take effect. If the key policy only grants actions like kms:Put* and kms:Create* to an Admin role and lacks a blanket allow for IAM policies, then even a user with full KMS permissions via IAM is denied—KMS always evaluates the key policy first. On the SCS-C02 exam, this concept frequently appears in troubleshooting scenarios where a user has broad IAM rights but still fails, testing your understanding that KMS key policies are the primary access control mechanism unless they explicitly delegate to IAM. A common trap is assuming IAM permissions override a restrictive key policy; they do not. Memory tip: “Key policy is king—IAM only works if the key says so.”
SCS-C02 Data Protection Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of data protection. 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 is troubleshooting why an IAM user (Alice) cannot encrypt data using a KMS key. Alice has full S3 and KMS permissions via an IAM policy. The key policy is shown. Which statement explains the issue?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The key policy does not allow the IAM user to use the key for any action
The key policy only grants kms:Put* and kms:Create* to the Admin role, not to Alice. Since the key policy does not allow Alice's actions, the IAM policy alone is insufficient because KMS requires key policy to grant access unless the key policy allows IAM policies. Option C correctly identifies the missing kms:Encrypt permission. Option A is incorrect because root is allowed; B is wrong because the key policy is restrictive; D is wrong because Alice has IAM permissions but key policy doesn't allow them.
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 key policy is missing a statement to allow the IAM user to use the key via IAM policies
Why it's wrong here
That would require 'kms:ViaService' condition, but here the key policy simply doesn't allow encrypt.
✗
The IAM user does not have the kms:Encrypt permission in their IAM policy
Why it's wrong here
Alice has full KMS permissions via IAM, but key policy doesn't enable IAM policies.
✗
The key policy does not include the root account principal
Why it's wrong here
Root is included.
✓
The key policy does not allow the IAM user to use the key for any action
Why this is correct
Only Admin role gets kms:Put* and kms:Create*, not encrypt.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Data Protection — This question tests Data Protection — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The key policy does not allow the IAM user to use the key for any action — The key policy only grants kms:Put* and kms:Create* to the Admin role, not to Alice. Since the key policy does not allow Alice's actions, the IAM policy alone is insufficient because KMS requires key policy to grant access unless the key policy allows IAM policies. Option C correctly identifies the missing kms:Encrypt permission. Option A is incorrect because root is allowed; B is wrong because the key policy is restrictive; D is wrong because Alice has IAM permissions but key policy doesn't allow them.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.