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Data Concepts and EnvironmentsmediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

DA0-002 Access Control Policy Practice Question

Exhibit

{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"AWS":"arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/DataAnalyst"},"Action":"s3:GetObject","Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::company-data/prod/*"},{"Effect":"Deny","Principal":"*","Action":"s3:GetObject","Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::company-data/prod/sensitive/*"}]}

Refer to the exhibit. A data analyst is trying to understand access permissions for the company data folder. Which statement accurately describes the effective permissions?

⚠ Common exam trap

A common mix-up: candidates assume an allow rule on a folder grants full access to all subfolders, forgetting that an explicit deny rule on a specific subfolder (via a path condition) takes precedence and creates a narrower effective permission.

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

DataAnalyst can read objects in the production folder except those in the sensitive subfolder.

The exhibit shows an access control policy that grants the DataAnalyst user read permission on the production folder, but includes an explicit deny rule for the sensitive subfolder specified via a path condition. In most access control systems, explicit deny rules take precedence over allow rules, so the deny on the sensitive subfolder overrides the allow on the production folder, effectively blocking read access to objects in the sensitive subfolder while permitting reads elsewhere in the production folder.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • DataAnalyst can read objects in the production folder except those in the sensitive subfolder.

    Why this is correct

    Allow on prod/*, Deny on prod/sensitive/* explicitly blocks access to sensitive subfolder.

  • DataAnalyst can read all objects in the production folder, including the sensitive subfolder.

    Why it's wrong here

    Deny overrides Allow, so sensitive subfolder is blocked.

  • No one can read from the production folder except DataAnalyst.

    Why it's wrong here

    Deny applies to everyone for sensitive subfolder, but Allow applies only to DataAnalyst for other objects.

  • Only DataAnalyst is allowed to read from the entire production folder.

    Why it's wrong here

    Deny blocks even DataAnalyst from sensitive subfolder.

Visual reference

Source Router + ACL permit 10.0.0.0/8 deny any Server 10.0.0.5 ✓ 192.168.1.1 ✗ dropped ACLs evaluate top-down; first match wins — implicit deny all at end

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JA

Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security

Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva

This DA0-002 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 DA0-002 exam.