The answer is that the policy is overly permissive because it grants access to the entire AWS account rather than restricting it to specific IAM users or roles. This occurs when the Principal element is set to the root user ARN of account 123456789012, which effectively allows any authenticated IAM identity within that account to call s3:GetObject on the bucket. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the difference between granting access to an account root versus specific principals—a common trap where candidates overlook that the root ARN covers all users and roles in the account. The policy lacks conditions for encryption or IP restrictions, but the core issue is its permissiveness at the account level. Remember the memory tip: “Root means all, not one”—if the Principal points to the account root, every IAM user in that account gets the green light.
SCS-C02 Management and Security Governance Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of management and security governance. 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.
The exhibit shows an S3 bucket policy. The security team wants to ensure that only users from account 123456789012 can access objects in the bucket. What is a potential security issue with this policy?
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 access to all IAM users in the account, not just specific ones.
The policy grants access to the entire account root (all users in that account) and does not restrict to specific IAM users or roles. Therefore, any user in the account can access the objects if they have permission to call s3:GetObject. Additionally, there is no condition for encryption in transit or at rest, but the primary issue is that it's too permissive within the account. Option A is wrong because it grants access to the entire account. Option C is wrong because there is no condition for MFA. Option D is wrong because it does not restrict to specific IPs.
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 policy grants access to all IAM users in the account, not just specific ones.
Why this is correct
Using the root ARN grants access to the entire account, not a specific principal.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The policy does not restrict access to a specific VPC.
Why it's wrong here
VPC restriction is not required for security in this context.
✗
The policy uses a wildcard in the resource ARN.
Why it's wrong here
Wildcard is necessary to grant access to all objects; it's not a security issue.
✗
The policy does not require MFA.
Why it's wrong here
Lack of MFA is not a direct issue with this policy; it's a separate concern.
Common exam traps
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.
Management and Security Governance — This question tests Management and Security Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The policy grants access to all IAM users in the account, not just specific ones. — The policy grants access to the entire account root (all users in that account) and does not restrict to specific IAM users or roles. Therefore, any user in the account can access the objects if they have permission to call s3:GetObject. Additionally, there is no condition for encryption in transit or at rest, but the primary issue is that it's too permissive within the account. Option A is wrong because it grants access to the entire account. Option C is wrong because there is no condition for MFA. Option D is wrong because it does not restrict to specific IPs.
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.
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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.
Question Discussion
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