SCS-C02 Identity and Access Management Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are valid ways to grant an IAM user permissions to access an S3 bucket? (Choose 2.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse identity-based policies (attached to users/groups/roles) with resource-based policies (like bucket policies) or other access control mechanisms (like SCPs or VPC endpoint policies), leading them to select options that do not directly grant permissions to an IAM user.
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
✓
Attach an IAM policy to the user.
Option C is correct because attaching an IAM identity-based policy directly to the user grants that user the specified S3 permissions, which is the standard way to authorize an IAM principal. Option D is correct because adding the user to an IAM group that has an S3 policy attached means the user inherits those permissions through group membership, another standard identity-based authorization method. Option A is incorrect because an instance profile is a container for an IAM role used by EC2 instances (and similar compute), not a mechanism for granting permissions to an IAM user. Option B is incorrect because a VPC endpoint policy controls which principals can access the service through that endpoint; it does not grant an IAM user permissions to an S3 bucket. Option E is incorrect because an SCP sets the maximum permissions boundary for accounts in an AWS Organization; it only restricts permissions and never grants access on its own.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Assign an instance profile to the user.
Why it's wrong here
Instance profiles deliver temporary credentials to EC2 instances through the instance metadata service; they attach to roles assumed by instances, not to IAM users. They are correct when an application running on EC2 must call AWS APIs without embedded long-term keys.
- ✗
Create a VPC endpoint policy.
Why it's wrong here
A VPC endpoint policy governs which principals may reach the S3 service through that endpoint, but it does not by itself authorise an IAM user's S3 actions. Endpoint policies are correct when restricting bucket access to traffic originating from a specific VPC or endpoint.
- ✓
Attach an IAM policy to the user.
Why this is correct
An identity-based IAM policy attached directly to the user grants that user the specified S3 actions on the bucket. This is a standard, valid mechanism for granting an IAM user access, independent of any bucket policy or group membership.
- ✓
Add the user to an IAM group with a policy.
Why this is correct
Placing the user in an IAM group that carries an S3 policy grants permissions through group membership. IAM evaluates the group's identity-based policy as applying to the user, making this a valid way to grant bucket access.
- ✗
Use an SCP to allow access.
Why it's wrong here
SCPs define the maximum permissions available to accounts within an organisation; they filter but never grant permissions to a principal. An SCP is the correct tool for enforcing organisational guardrails, such as blocking access to specific Regions or services across all member accounts.
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 |
Go deeper
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.