SOA-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "s3:ListBucket",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket"
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "s3:GetObject",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket/*",
      "Condition": {
        "Bool": {
          "aws:SecureTransport": "true"
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Refer to the exhibit. An IAM policy is attached to a user. Which statement about the user's access is correct?

⚠ Common exam trap

SOA-C02 often tests the misunderstanding that a condition applies only to certain actions; candidates may think GetObject over HTTP is allowed because the action is permitted, but the condition blocks it.

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 user can get objects only over HTTPS.

The IAM policy includes a condition that restricts access to HTTPS (aws:SecureTransport true) and allows s3:GetObject. Therefore, the user can only perform GetObject over HTTPS. The policy does not grant s3:ListBucket, so listing is not allowed at all. Thus, the correct statement is that the user can get objects only over HTTPS.

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 user can get objects over HTTP.
Why it's wrong here
The policy grants the list action under a protocol condition, not the get action, so retrieving objects over HTTP is not permitted. It is tempting because both actions target the same bucket, but the statement's Action element names only one operation.
✗
The user can list objects in the bucket over HTTP.
Why it's wrong here
The policy's condition key restricts the granted action to a particular transport, so unencrypted HTTP requests are denied. It is tempting because HTTP is the default scheme, but the condition explicitly excludes it for the action the statement allows.
✗
The user can list objects only over HTTPS.
Why it's wrong here
The policy's condition restricts access by protocol, so the HTTPS-only claim misreads the effect of the statement. It is tempting because secure transport is a common control, but the condition here applies to the specific action granted, not to list operations generally.
✓
The user can get objects only over HTTPS.
Why this is correct
The policy's Condition element restricts access to HTTPS, so GetObject requests succeed only when the aws:SecureTransport condition key evaluates true. Plain HTTP calls are denied, satisfying the stem's HTTPS-only constraint while leaving the action and resource permissions otherwise intact.

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

SOA-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Related to this question