- A
The destination bucket does not have versioning enabled.
Why wrong: Versioning is not a requirement for log delivery.
- B
The destination bucket is in a different AWS account.
Why wrong: Cross-account delivery is supported with appropriate bucket policies.
- C
The Log Delivery group does not have an IAM role assigned.
Why wrong: Server access logs use the Log Delivery group, not an IAM role.
- D
The destination bucket is in a different AWS region.
S3 server access logs must be delivered to a bucket in the same region.
SCS-C02 Security Logging and Monitoring Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security logging and monitoring. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 notices that S3 server access logs are not being delivered to the specified destination bucket. The source bucket has a bucket policy that grants s3:PutObject permission to the Log Delivery group. The destination bucket is in the same AWS account but a different region. What is the most likely cause of the failure?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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 destination bucket is in a different AWS region.
S3 server access logs are delivered by the Log Delivery group, which is a special AWS service principal. When the destination bucket is in a different AWS region, the Log Delivery group cannot write logs cross-region because S3 server access logging only supports delivering logs to a bucket in the same region as the source bucket. This is a hard limitation of the S3 service, not a permission or configuration issue.
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 destination bucket does not have versioning enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning is not a requirement for log delivery.
- ✗
The destination bucket is in a different AWS account.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-account delivery is supported with appropriate bucket policies.
- ✗
The Log Delivery group does not have an IAM role assigned.
Why it's wrong here
Server access logs use the Log Delivery group, not an IAM role.
- ✓
The destination bucket is in a different AWS region.
Why this is correct
S3 server access logs must be delivered to a bucket in the same region.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
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 cross-region S3 operations are always supported (e.g., cross-region replication), but S3 server access logging has a specific regional restriction that is easy to overlook.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
S3 server access logs are delivered via the Log Delivery group (represented by the canonical user ID for the S3 service), which can only write to a destination bucket in the same region as the source bucket. This is enforced by the S3 service architecture, where log delivery is handled by regional endpoints. If cross-region delivery were attempted, the PutObject request would fail with a 400 Bad Request error because the Log Delivery group is not authorized to write across regional boundaries, even with a permissive bucket policy.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Security Logging and Monitoring — This question tests Security Logging and Monitoring — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The destination bucket is in a different AWS region. — S3 server access logs are delivered by the Log Delivery group, which is a special AWS service principal. When the destination bucket is in a different AWS region, the Log Delivery group cannot write logs cross-region because S3 server access logging only supports delivering logs to a bucket in the same region as the source bucket. This is a hard limitation of the S3 service, not a permission or configuration issue.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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