SCS-C02 Data Protection Practice Question

Exhibit

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Id": "KMSKeyPolicy",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Sid": "Enable IAM User Permissions",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Principal": {
        "AWS": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root"
      },
      "Action": "kms:*",
      "Resource": "*"
    },
    {
      "Sid": "Allow access for Key Administrators",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Principal": {
        "AWS": [
          "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/Admin"
        ]
      },
      "Action": [
        "kms:Create*",
        "kms:Put*"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

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?

⚠ Common exam trap

A common misconception is that adding 'kms:ViaService' condition is necessary to allow IAM policies. In reality, the key policy must include a statement that delegates authority to the root account (e.g., 'Principal': {'AWS': 'arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root'}, 'Action': 'kms:*', 'Effect': 'Allow'). Without this, even full IAM permissions are insufficient.

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 key policy does not allow the IAM user to use the key for any action

The key policy does not grant Alice any permissions, and it does not enable IAM policies to allow access (no statement allowing root account to delegate via IAM). Since KMS requires explicit key policy authorization unless the key policy enables IAM policies, Alice cannot encrypt data even with full IAM permissions. Option D correctly identifies this. Option A is wrong because the key policy does not need a separate statement to allow IAM policies unless it explicitly enables IAM policy delegation. Option B is wrong because Alice has kms:Encrypt via IAM policy, but the key policy is restrictive. Option C is wrong because the root account is included (the Root principal).

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.

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

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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026

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