- A
aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent
This Boolean condition key checks if MFA was used during authentication. Denying access when it evaluates to false enforces MFA.
- B
aws:UserAgent
Why wrong: This key checks the user agent string of the request, not MFA status.
- C
aws:SourceIp
Why wrong: This key checks the source IP address of the request, not MFA status.
- D
aws:RequestedRegion
Why wrong: This key checks the AWS Region in the request, not MFA status.
Question 433 of 1,546
Enforce MFA Using IAM Condition Keys — AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Explained
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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's security policy requires that all IAM users must authenticate using multi-factor authentication (MFA) before accessing the Amazon S3 bucket containing confidential finance data. The SysOps administrator needs to create an IAM policy that denies access to the S3 bucket if the user has not authenticated using MFA. Which IAM condition key should the administrator include in the policy?
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
✓
aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent
The `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` condition key evaluates to `true` when the requesting IAM user has authenticated using a valid MFA device. By including this key in a `Deny` statement with a condition that it is `false`, the policy effectively blocks any S3 access unless MFA was used. This directly enforces the security policy requirement.
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.
- ✓
aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent
Why this is correct
This Boolean condition key checks if MFA was used during authentication. Denying access when it evaluates to false enforces MFA.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
aws:UserAgent
Why it's wrong here
This key checks the user agent string of the request, not MFA status.
- ✗
aws:SourceIp
Why it's wrong here
This key checks the source IP address of the request, not MFA status.
- ✗
aws:RequestedRegion
Why it's wrong here
This key checks the AWS Region in the request, not MFA status.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` with `aws:MultiFactorAuthAge` or assume that simply having MFA enabled on the user account automatically sets the key, when in fact the key is only present if MFA was used during the current session authentication.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` key is a boolean that is `true` only if the session was obtained via an MFA-authenticated STS token (e.g., using `GetSessionToken` with MFA). A common subtlety is that long-term credentials (access keys) do not set this key, so the policy must explicitly deny when the key is `false` or does not exist. In real-world scenarios, this condition is often combined with `aws:MultiFactorAuthAge` to enforce MFA re-authentication for sensitive operations.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent — The `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` condition key evaluates to `true` when the requesting IAM user has authenticated using a valid MFA device. By including this key in a `Deny` statement with a condition that it is `false`, the policy effectively blocks any S3 access unless MFA was used. This directly enforces the security policy requirement.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on SOA-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company's security policy requires that all IAM users must authenticate with multi-factor authentication (MFA) before they can perform any actions on Amazon EC2 instances. The SysOps administrator needs to enforce this requirement using IAM policies. Which IAM policy condition key should the administrator use in the policy?
medium- ✓ A.aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent
- B.aws:SourceIp
- C.iam:PassedToService
- D.ec2:SourceInstanceARN
Why A: Option A is correct because the `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` condition key allows the administrator to enforce MFA authentication by checking whether the user authenticated with a valid MFA device before allowing the action. When set to `true`, the policy denies access to EC2 actions unless the user has completed MFA. This directly satisfies the security policy requirement.
Variation 2. Which TWO IAM policy conditions can be used to enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for API calls? (Choose two.)
medium- A.aws:PrincipalType
- ✓ B.aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent
- ✓ C.aws:MultiFactorAuthAge
- D.aws:TokenIssueTime
- E.aws:SourceIp
Why B: Options B and C are correct. The condition key 'aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent' checks if MFA was used (a Boolean condition). The condition key 'aws:MultiFactorAuthAge' checks how long ago MFA was authenticated (a numeric condition). Option A is wrong because 'aws:PrincipalType' is for distinguishing user, role, or federated principal types, not MFA. Option D is wrong because 'aws:TokenIssueTime' is a valid condition key but it checks when the temporary credential was issued, not MFA. Option E is wrong because 'aws:SourceIp' is for IP address filtering.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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