mediumMultiple Choice
CV0-004 Is reviewing a cloud storage bucket policy Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Principal": "*",
"Action": "s3:GetObject",
"Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::mycompany-data/*"
}
]
}A security engineer is reviewing a cloud storage bucket policy. Which of the following best describes the security issue present in the exhibit?
⚠ Common exam trap
CV0-004 often tests the misconception that read-only public access is acceptable or 'secure by default' — candidates must recognize that public read on a bucket is a data exposure vulnerability regardless of the operation type.
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 bucket policy allows public read access to all objects, creating a data exposure risk.
The exhibit (a bucket policy granting public read access) exposes all objects in the bucket to anyone on the internet, which is a data exposure risk (D). Public read access on a storage bucket is one of the most common cloud misconfigurations and a leading cause of data breaches, because it allows unauthenticated principals to list and download objects. The correct characterization is that the policy creates an exposure risk, not that it is secure or needs write access.
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 bucket policy correctly limits access to read-only operations, which is secure by default.
Why it's wrong here
Read-only permissions do not make a policy secure; the exhibit's actual flaw is likely an overly permissive principal or wildcard resource, which read-only access does not remedy. It is tempting because least privilege is a genuine principle, and read-only would be correct if the flaw were excessive write permissions, but the stated issue is broader exposure.
- ✗
The bucket policy should be modified to allow write access for full functionality.
Why it's wrong here
Granting write access widens exposure rather than fixing the flaw; the exhibit's issue concerns excessive or misconfigured permissions, not insufficient functionality. It is tempting when an application genuinely needs to upload objects, and write access would be correct for that workload, but the question asks to identify the existing security problem.
- ✗
The bucket policy should include an IP address restriction to limit access to corporate IPs.
Why it's wrong here
Adding an IP restriction is a hardening improvement, not the security issue present in the exhibit; the policy's existing flaw remains unaddressed. It is tempting because source-IP conditions are a legitimate control, and they would be correct where access must be limited to known networks, but the question asks what is wrong with the policy as shown.
- ✓
The bucket policy allows public read access to all objects, creating a data exposure risk.
Why this is correct
Public read access on a bucket policy grants anonymous principals the `s3:GetObject` permission, so anyone on the internet can retrieve every stored object without authentication. This directly satisfies the stem's data exposure risk, since confidentiality is lost for all objects rather than a scoped subset.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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