This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. The bucket policy allows access from a specific IP range and denies access over HTTP. A user from IP 198.51.100.5 makes a GET request over HTTPS. 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
✓
Denied because no explicit allow matches the request.
The correct answer is D because, in AWS S3 bucket policies, an explicit Deny always overrides any Allow, but the request must first match a Deny condition. Here, the Deny condition applies to HTTP requests, but the request is HTTPS, so the Deny does not apply. However, the bucket policy only allows access from a specific IP range, and the user's IP (198.51.100.5) is not within that allowed range. Since no explicit Allow matches the request, the default implicit Deny applies, resulting in access being denied.
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.
✗
Denied because of the explicit Deny statement.
Why it's wrong here
The Deny condition is not triggered as the request uses HTTPS.
✗
Allowed because the request is over HTTPS.
Why it's wrong here
HTTPS is not sufficient; the IP condition must also be met.
✗
Allowed because the Deny condition is not satisfied.
Why it's wrong here
The Allow condition is not satisfied, so no explicit allow.
✓
Denied because no explicit allow matches the request.
Why this is correct
The Allow requires a specific IP, which is not met, resulting in implicit deny.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume that because the Deny condition is not triggered (due to HTTPS), the request must be allowed, overlooking the fact that the request still fails the IP-based Allow condition, leading to an implicit Deny.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS S3 bucket policies follow a default-deny model: if no explicit Allow matches the request, access is implicitly denied, even if no explicit Deny applies. The policy evaluation logic processes explicit Deny statements first, then explicit Allows, and finally defaults to implicit Deny. In this scenario, the IP address 198.51.100.5 is outside the allowed range (e.g., 203.0.113.0/24), so the Allow condition fails, and no other Allow exists, resulting in an implicit Deny.
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.
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
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.
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Denied because no explicit allow matches the request. — The correct answer is D because, in AWS S3 bucket policies, an explicit Deny always overrides any Allow, but the request must first match a Deny condition. Here, the Deny condition applies to HTTP requests, but the request is HTTPS, so the Deny does not apply. However, the bucket policy only allows access from a specific IP range, and the user's IP (198.51.100.5) is not within that allowed range. Since no explicit Allow matches the request, the default implicit Deny applies, resulting in access being denied.
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.
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.