This CCSP practice question tests your understanding of cloud application security. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 analyst reviews the above S3 bucket policy. The bucket stores sensitive application data. What is the primary security issue with this policy?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The Deny statement will block all access, including from authorized IPs
The Deny statement with a NotIpAddress condition denies all requests that do not match the specified IP range. However, because the Deny effect overrides any Allow, this statement will block access from any IP address that is not in the listed range, including authorized IPs that the policy intended to allow. This creates a complete denial of service for legitimate users, making it the primary security issue.
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.
✗
The resource ARN should not include a wildcard
Why it's wrong here
Wildcard is acceptable for all objects; not a security issue.
✓
The Deny statement will block all access, including from authorized IPs
Why this is correct
Deny statements override Allow, so the Allow with IP condition is ineffective.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The policy should use a condition with aws:SourceVpc instead of IP
Why it's wrong here
Using VPC condition is an alternative, but the Deny overrides all.
✗
The IP address range is too broad
Why it's wrong here
The range is internal, but the main issue is the Deny making Allow useless.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the nuance that a Deny statement with a NotIpAddress condition will block all traffic not matching the IP range, including traffic from authorized IPs, because candidates mistakenly think the Allow statement will override the Deny.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In AWS IAM policy evaluation logic, an explicit Deny always overrides any Allow. The Deny statement with a NotIpAddress condition effectively says 'deny all requests that are NOT from this IP range,' which means any request from an IP outside the range is denied. However, because the policy also includes an Allow statement for the same IP range, the Deny will still block requests from that range if the condition is misconfigured or if the policy evaluation order causes unexpected results. In practice, this is a common misconfiguration where administrators intend to whitelist IPs but accidentally create a blacklist that blocks all traffic.
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 security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Cloud Application Security — This question tests Cloud Application Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The Deny statement will block all access, including from authorized IPs — The Deny statement with a NotIpAddress condition denies all requests that do not match the specified IP range. However, because the Deny effect overrides any Allow, this statement will block access from any IP address that is not in the listed range, including authorized IPs that the policy intended to allow. This creates a complete denial of service for legitimate users, making it the primary security issue.
What should I do if I get this CCSP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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