The answer is that the request will fail because the user's IP is not in the allowed range. This outcome is determined by the IAM policy condition that explicitly restricts s3:GetObject access to a specific IP address range, and since the on-premises server at 198.51.100.50 falls outside that range, the condition is not met and the request is denied. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how IAM IP conditions work for S3 access, often appearing as a trick where examinees overlook the condition key or confuse it with other controls like MFA or HTTPS enforcement. A common trap is assuming that an allow action alone grants access, but the condition block is the gatekeeper—if the IP doesn't match, the entire statement evaluates to deny. Remember the memory tip: "IP first, then action" to check the condition before assuming the permission is granted.
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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
IAM Policy:
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": "s3:GetObject",
"Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket/*",
"Condition": {
"IpAddress": {
"aws:SourceIp": "192.0.2.0/24"
}
}
}
]
}
Refer to the exhibit. An IAM user has this policy attached. The user tries to download an object from the S3 bucket using the AWS CLI from an on-premises server with IP address 198.51.100.50. What will happen?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The request will fail because the user's IP is not in the allowed range.
Option D is correct because the policy allows s3:GetObject only if the request comes from the specified IP range. Since the user's IP is outside that range, the request will be denied. Option A is wrong because the policy does not allow all IPs. Option B is wrong because there is no requirement for MFA. Option C is wrong because the policy does not require HTTPS; it only checks IP.
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 request will succeed because the policy allows s3:GetObject.
Why it's wrong here
The policy has a condition that restricts IP.
✗
The request will fail because the user must use HTTPS.
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.
Identity and Access Management — This question tests Identity and Access Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The request will fail because the user's IP is not in the allowed range. — Option D is correct because the policy allows s3:GetObject only if the request comes from the specified IP range. Since the user's IP is outside that range, the request will be denied. Option A is wrong because the policy does not allow all IPs. Option B is wrong because there is no requirement for MFA. Option C is wrong because the policy does not require HTTPS; it only checks IP.
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 →
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. Refer to the exhibit. An IAM policy is attached to a user. The user is trying to download an object from 'example-bucket' from an IP address of 10.1.1.1. What will happen?
easy
A.Access is denied because the policy does not include an explicit deny
B.Access is allowed because the condition key is misspelled
✓ C.Access is denied because the IP address is not in the allowed range
D.Access is allowed because the policy allows s3:GetObject
Why C: Option B is correct because the condition restricts access to the IP range 10.0.0.0/16, and the user's IP is outside that range, so access is denied by default. Option A is incorrect because the condition is evaluated. Option C is incorrect because there is no explicit deny. Option D is incorrect because the condition key is valid.
Variation 2. A security engineer attaches this policy to an IAM user. The user tries to download an object from the bucket from an IP address 10.1.0.5. What will happen?
hard
✓ A.The user will be denied access because the condition does not match
B.The user will be allowed access because the policy allows s3:GetObject
C.The policy is invalid and will cause an error
D.The user will be denied access because there is an explicit deny
Why A: Option C is correct because the condition restricts access to IPs in 10.0.0.0/16, and 10.1.0.5 is not in that range. Option A is wrong because the condition is not satisfied. Option B is wrong because there is no explicit deny. Option D is wrong because the policy is valid.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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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.
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