This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of data protection. 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. A key principle to apply: s3 Bucket Policy. 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. An administrator applies this bucket policy to an S3 bucket. Which of the following statements describes the effect of this policy?
The policy denies all PutObject requests that do not specify SSE-KMS.
Correct. The policy denies PutObject when the encryption header is not `aws:kms` or is absent, effectively requiring SSE-KMS.
B
The policy allows uploads without encryption but denies uploads with SSE-KMS.
Why wrong: Incorrect. The policy denies uploads without encryption (header absent) and denies uploads with any encryption other than SSE-KMS. It does not allow unencrypted uploads.
C
The policy allows unencrypted uploads but denies uploads with SSE-KMS.
Why wrong: Incorrect. The policy denies unencrypted uploads and denies uploads with SSE-KMS? Actually, it denies all non-KMS encryption, so it does not allow unencrypted uploads.
D
The policy allows uploads with SSE-S3 but denies uploads with SSE-KMS.
Why wrong: Incorrect. The policy denies uploads with SSE-S3 (since SSE-S3 uses `AES256`, not `aws:kms`) and also denies uploads with SSE-KMS? Wait, it only denies non-KMS encryption, so it allows SSE-KMS. The description is reversed.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy denies all PutObject requests that do not specify SSE-KMS.
Option A is correct. The bucket policy contains two Deny statements: the first denies PutObject when the `x-amz-server-side-encryption` header is not `aws:kms`, and the second denies PutObject when the header is absent (null). Together, they ensure that any upload without SSE-KMS is denied, effectively requiring SSE-KMS for all PutObject requests. Options B, C, and D are incorrect because the policy does not allow any unencrypted uploads or uploads with SSE-S3; it only allows uploads with SSE-KMS.
Key principle: S3 Bucket Policy
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 policy denies all PutObject requests that do not specify SSE-KMS.
Why this is correct
Correct. The policy denies PutObject when the encryption header is not `aws:kms` or is absent, effectively requiring SSE-KMS.
Related concept
S3 Bucket Policy
✗
The policy allows uploads without encryption but denies uploads with SSE-KMS.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The policy denies uploads without encryption (header absent) and denies uploads with any encryption other than SSE-KMS. It does not allow unencrypted uploads.
✗
The policy allows unencrypted uploads but denies uploads with SSE-KMS.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The policy denies unencrypted uploads and denies uploads with SSE-KMS? Actually, it denies all non-KMS encryption, so it does not allow unencrypted uploads.
✗
The policy allows uploads with SSE-S3 but denies uploads with SSE-KMS.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The policy denies uploads with SSE-S3 (since SSE-S3 uses `AES256`, not `aws:kms`) and also denies uploads with SSE-KMS? Wait, it only denies non-KMS encryption, so it allows SSE-KMS. The description is reversed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap is that candidates might misread the policy and think the first statement alone denies all non-KMS encryption, but the second statement is needed to also deny requests with no encryption header at all.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
S3 Bucket Policy
SSE-KMS
Condition Element
Deny Effect
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
S3 Bucket Policy
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.
Review s3 Bucket Policy, then practise related SCS-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Data Protection — This question tests Data Protection — S3 Bucket Policy.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The policy denies all PutObject requests that do not specify SSE-KMS. — Option A is correct. The bucket policy contains two Deny statements: the first denies PutObject when the `x-amz-server-side-encryption` header is not `aws:kms`, and the second denies PutObject when the header is absent (null). Together, they ensure that any upload without SSE-KMS is denied, effectively requiring SSE-KMS for all PutObject requests. Options B, C, and D are incorrect because the policy does not allow any unencrypted uploads or uploads with SSE-S3; it only allows uploads with SSE-KMS.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Review s3 Bucket Policy, then practise related SCS-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
S3 Bucket Policy
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