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Question 679 of 1,738

Infrastructure Security →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is that the primary security concern is the policy grants public access to the bucket because the Principal is "*", allowing anyone from the specified IP range to access objects. While the IP condition restricts the source to the 10.0.0.0/8 range, the wildcard principal means any unauthenticated user—not just corporate employees—can retrieve objects if their traffic originates from that CIDR block. This is a critical trap on the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam: a condition on IP address does not authenticate the requester, so an attacker who spoofs or gains access to an IP within that range can bypass intended access controls. The exam tests your understanding that bucket policies with Principal "*" effectively make the bucket publicly readable to anyone meeting the condition, regardless of IAM user or role. Remember the mnemonic: "Wildcard Principal plus IP condition equals public access by location, not identity."

SCS-C02 Infrastructure Security Practice Question

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.

A security engineer is reviewing the following IAM policy attached to an S3 bucket:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Principal": "*",
      "Action": "s3:GetObject",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket/*",
      "Condition": {
        "IpAddress": {

"aws:SourceIp": "10.0.0.0/8"

}
      }
    }
  ]
}

The bucket contains sensitive data and should only be accessible from the corporate network (CIDR 10.0.0.0/8). However, the engineer is concerned that this policy might not be effective. What is the primary security concern with this policy?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Review the full subnetting walkthrough →

A
The bucket policy does not include a Deny statement for requests outside the IP range, so the default allow might still permit access from other IPs.
Why wrong: The default is Deny, so only the Allow applies. But the Allow is broad within the IP range.
B
The policy grants public access to the bucket because the Principal is "*", allowing anyone from the specified IP range to access objects.
Any user from the allowed IP range can access the bucket, which is essentially public access to that network.
C
The condition key aws:SourceIp only evaluates the IP address of the client, but if the request comes through a proxy, the IP might not match.
Why wrong: While proxies can affect IP, the primary concern is that the bucket is effectively public to anyone within the IP range.
D
The policy uses s3:GetObject but does not include s3:ListBucket, so users cannot see the object list, but they can guess object keys.
Why wrong: This is a secondary concern; the primary concern is that the bucket is accessible to anyone in the corporate network.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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 policy grants public access to the bucket because the Principal is "*", allowing anyone from the specified IP range to access objects.

Option B is correct because the policy allows anonymous access; any user from the specified IP range can access objects. Option A is wrong because the condition does restrict by IP. Option C is wrong because the bucket policy does not block public access if the bucket policy explicitly allows it. Option D is wrong because the policy does not open the entire bucket; it only allows GetObject.

Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

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 policy does not include a Deny statement for requests outside the IP range, so the default allow might still permit access from other IPs.
Why it's wrong here
The default is Deny, so only the Allow applies. But the Allow is broad within the IP range.
✓
The policy grants public access to the bucket because the Principal is "*", allowing anyone from the specified IP range to access objects.
Why this is correct
Any user from the allowed IP range can access the bucket, which is essentially public access to that network.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
✗
The condition key aws:SourceIp only evaluates the IP address of the client, but if the request comes through a proxy, the IP might not match.
Why it's wrong here
While proxies can affect IP, the primary concern is that the bucket is effectively public to anyone within the IP range.
✗
The policy uses s3:GetObject but does not include s3:ListBucket, so users cannot see the object list, but they can guess object keys.
Why it's wrong here
This is a secondary concern; the primary concern is that the bucket is accessible to anyone in the corporate network.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses

Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.

KKey Concepts to Remember

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.

TExam Day Tips

Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.

Key takeaway

Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

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.

Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related SCS-C02 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SCS-C02 question test?

Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: The policy grants public access to the bucket because the Principal is "*", allowing anyone from the specified IP range to access objects. — Option B is correct because the policy allows anonymous access; any user from the specified IP range can access objects. Option A is wrong because the condition does restrict by IP. Option C is wrong because the bucket policy does not block public access if the bucket policy explicitly allows it. Option D is wrong because the policy does not open the entire bucket; it only allows GetObject.

What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.

What is the key concept behind this question?

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.

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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026

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