The correct answer is that granting access to a private IP range creates a security weakness because private IP addresses are not routable over the internet, making the condition ineffective for controlling external access. This technical flaw stems from the fact that private ranges like 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, and 192.168.0.0/16 are only meaningful within a local network and cannot authenticate or authorize remote users; an attacker could spoof such an address from inside the network or bypass the restriction entirely if the policy is meant to limit internet-based access. On the CISSP exam, this tests your understanding of network addressing and policy logic, often appearing in access control or security architecture questions where a seemingly specific condition is actually a null constraint. A common trap is assuming any IP condition is effective, but the key is to verify routability. Remember the mnemonic: “Private IPs are for local trips, not internet chips.”
CISSP Security Assessment and Testing Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security assessment and testing. 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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
It grants access to a private IP range which is not routable over the internet
Option C is correct because the policy grants access to a private IP range (e.g., 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, or 192.168.0.0/16) which is not routable over the internet. This means the condition is ineffective for controlling access from external sources, as private IP addresses are only meaningful within a local network and cannot be used to authenticate or authorize remote users. An attacker could spoof such an IP address from within the same network or bypass the restriction entirely if the policy is intended to restrict internet-based access.
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.
✗
It does not specify a principal
Why it's wrong here
In IAM policies attached to a user/role, the principal is implicitly the entity.
✗
It allows all actions on the bucket
Why it's wrong here
The action is limited to s3:GetObject, not all actions.
✓
It grants access to a private IP range which is not routable over the internet
Why this is correct
Private IP ranges are not seen as source IPs by AWS; the condition will never be satisfied for external requests.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
It uses a condition that can be bypassed
Why it's wrong here
The condition is specific to IP and is not easily bypassed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume any IP-based condition is secure, failing to recognize that private IP ranges are non-routable and thus cannot enforce access control from the internet, leading them to overlook the fundamental network-layer limitation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Private IP ranges (RFC 1918: 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16) are not routable on the public internet, so using them in an IP-based condition in a bucket policy (e.g., in AWS S3) only matches requests originating from within the same private network. In practice, this means the policy would never match a legitimate external client, effectively making the condition a no-op; an attacker could bypass the intended restriction by simply not including the private IP in the request (e.g., by using a public IP). This is a common misconfiguration in cloud storage policies where administrators mistakenly assume private IPs can be used to restrict internet access.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CISSP question in full detail.
Security Assessment and Testing — This question tests Security Assessment and Testing — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: It grants access to a private IP range which is not routable over the internet — Option C is correct because the policy grants access to a private IP range (e.g., 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, or 192.168.0.0/16) which is not routable over the internet. This means the condition is ineffective for controlling access from external sources, as private IP addresses are only meaningful within a local network and cannot be used to authenticate or authorize remote users. An attacker could spoof such an IP address from within the same network or bypass the restriction entirely if the policy is intended to restrict internet-based access.
What should I do if I get this CISSP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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This CISSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CISSP exam.
Question Discussion
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