SOA-C02 Networking and Content Delivery Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. 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 company uses Amazon CloudFront to deliver its static website hosted on Amazon S3. The security team notices that users are able to access the S3 bucket directly via the S3 endpoint, bypassing CloudFront. What should be done to ensure that content is only accessible through CloudFront?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an origin access identity (OAI) and update the S3 bucket policy to grant access only to the OAI
Option C is correct because configuring an origin access identity (OAI) and updating the S3 bucket policy to allow access only to the OAI prevents direct S3 access. Option A is wrong because disabling public access on the S3 bucket using S3 Block Public Access would also block legitimate CloudFront requests if not combined with OAI. Option B is wrong because Lambda@Edge can modify requests/responses but does not enforce access control at the bucket level. Option D is wrong because AWS WAF can filter requests but does not prevent direct S3 access.
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.
✓
Create an origin access identity (OAI) and update the S3 bucket policy to grant access only to the OAI
Why this is correct
This restricts S3 bucket access to CloudFront only.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS WAF to block requests that do not include the CloudFront distribution's domain name
Why it's wrong here
WAF does not prevent direct S3 access; it filters requests at CloudFront edge locations.
✗
Create an AWS Lambda@Edge function to validate headers
Why it's wrong here
Lambda@Edge can check headers but does not prevent direct S3 access.
✗
Use S3 Block Public Access to prevent all public access
Why it's wrong here
This would block direct S3 access but also block CloudFront if not configured with an OAI.
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 SOA-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.
Networking and Content Delivery — This question tests Networking and Content Delivery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an origin access identity (OAI) and update the S3 bucket policy to grant access only to the OAI — Option C is correct because configuring an origin access identity (OAI) and updating the S3 bucket policy to allow access only to the OAI prevents direct S3 access. Option A is wrong because disabling public access on the S3 bucket using S3 Block Public Access would also block legitimate CloudFront requests if not combined with OAI. Option B is wrong because Lambda@Edge can modify requests/responses but does not enforce access control at the bucket level. Option D is wrong because AWS WAF can filter requests but does not prevent direct S3 access.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SOA-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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Question Discussion
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