The answer is that an attacker can read any object in the bucket without authentication. This is because the bucket policy specifies "Principal": "*" combined with "Action": "s3:GetObject", which grants anonymous public read access to every object stored in the 'company-backups' bucket, effectively making all data publicly downloadable without any identity verification. On the Certified Ethical Hacker CEH exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cloud misconfigurations under the cloud security domain, often appearing in questions about data exposure risks where a single wildcard principal can bypass all access controls. A common trap is confusing this with a bucket that is publicly listable but not readable—here, the GetObject action directly exposes the objects themselves. Memory tip: think of the "star principal" as a "star door"—if the door is open to everyone (Principal: *), anyone can grab what’s inside (GetObject).
CEH Practice Question: Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography
This CEH practice question tests your understanding of advanced topics: wireless, cloud, iot, cryptography. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 security engineer analyzes a cloud environment and finds that an S3 bucket named 'company-backups' is configured with a bucket policy that allows 'Principal': '*' and 'Action': 's3:GetObject'. Which of the following is the MOST likely risk?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
An attacker can read any object in the bucket without authentication
A bucket policy allowing anonymous GetObject makes all objects publicly readable, leading to data exposure.
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.
✓
An attacker can read any object in the bucket without authentication
Why this is correct
The policy allows anyone (Principal: *) to perform GetObject, making objects publicly readable.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
An attacker can modify the bucket policy
Why it's wrong here
Modifying policy requires s3:PutBucketPolicy, not granted.
✗
An attacker can delete objects in the bucket
Why it's wrong here
s3:GetObject only allows read, not delete.
✗
An attacker can enumerate all objects in the bucket
Why it's wrong here
Listing requires s3:ListBucket permission, which is not granted.
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 practitioner preparing for the CEH exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CEH question in full detail.
Identify which CEH 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.
Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography — This question tests Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: An attacker can read any object in the bucket without authentication — A bucket policy allowing anonymous GetObject makes all objects publicly readable, leading to data exposure.
What should I do if I get this CEH question wrong?
Identify which CEH 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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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 →
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 security team uses ScoutSuite to assess their AWS environment. The tool reports that an S3 bucket policy allows access from any IP address. What is the MOST likely misconfiguration?
hard
A.The bucket has versioning enabled
B.The bucket ACL grants 'FullControl' to 'AuthenticatedUsers' group
Why D: ScoutSuite identifies overly permissive bucket policies; allowing access from any IP (0.0.0.0/0) is a common misconfiguration.
Variation 2. A penetration tester is assessing an AWS environment and discovers an S3 bucket with the following bucket policy: `{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":"*","Action":"s3:GetObject","Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket/*"}]}`. Which of the following is the MOST likely security issue?
hard
✓ A.The bucket policy allows public read access to all objects
B.The bucket policy allows only GetObject, which is too restrictive
C.The bucket policy should use a Principal of AWS instead of *
D.The bucket policy is missing a Deny statement for write operations
Why A: The policy allows anyone (Principal: *) to read any object in the bucket, making it publicly accessible and a common misconfiguration.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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