A VPC endpoint is a logical device that enables private connections between a VPC and supported AWS services. A VPC endpoint can be either a gateway endpoint or an interface endpoint. A gateway endpoint is a gateway that is a target for a specified route in the route table, used for traffic destined to a supported AWS service. An interface endpoint is an elastic network interface with a private IP address that serves as an entry point for traffic destined to a supported service1
In this case, the Machine Learning Specialist can create a gateway endpoint for Amazon S3, which is a supported service for gateway endpoints. A gateway endpoint for Amazon S3 enables the VPC to access Amazon S3 privately, without requiring an internet gateway, NAT device, VPN connection, or AWS Direct Connect connection. The traffic between the VPC and Amazon S3 does not leave the Amazon network2
To restrict access to the dataset stored in Amazon S3, the Machine Learning Specialist can apply a bucket access policy that allows access only from the given VPC endpoint and the VPC. A bucket access policy is a resource-based policy that defines who can access a bucket and what actions they can perform. A bucket access policy can use various conditions to control access, such as the source IP address, the source VPC, the source VPC endpoint, etc. In this case, the Machine Learning Specialist can use the aws:sourceVpce condition to specify the ID of the VPC endpoint, and the aws:sourceVpc condition to specify the ID of the VPC. This way, only the requests that originate from the VPC endpoint or the VPC can access the bucket that contains the dataset34
The other options are not valid or secure ways to satisfy the requirements. Creating a VPC endpoint and applying a bucket access policy that allows access from the given VPC endpoint and an Amazon EC2 instance is not a good option, as it does not restrict access to the VPC. An Amazon EC2 instance is a virtual server that runs in the AWS cloud. An Amazon EC2 instance can have a public IP address or a private IP address, depending on the network configuration. Allowing access from an Amazon EC2 instance does not guarantee that the instance is in the same VPC as the VPC endpoint, and may expose the dataset to unauthorized access. Creating a VPC endpoint and using Network Access Control Lists (NACLs) to allow traffic between only the given VPC endpoint and an Amazon EC2 instance is not a good option, as it does not restrict access to the VPC. NACLs are stateless firewalls that can control inbound and outbound traffic at the subnet level. NACLs can use rules to allow or deny traffic based on the protocol, port, and source or destination IP address. However, NACLs do not support VPC endpoints as a source or destination, and cannot filter traffic based on the VPC endpoint ID or the VPC ID. Therefore, using NACLs does not guarantee that the traffic is from the VPC endpoint or the VPC, and may expose the dataset to unauthorized access. Creating a VPC endpoint and using security groups to restrict access to the given VPC endpoint and an Amazon EC2 instance is not a good option, as it does not restrict access to the VPC. Security groups are stateful firewalls that can control inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level. Security groups can use rules to allow or deny traffic based on the protocol, port, and source or destination. However, security groups do not support VPC endpoints as a source or destination, and cannot filter traffic based on the VPC endpoint ID or the VPC ID. Therefore, using security groups does not guarantee that the traffic is from the VPC endpoint or the VPC, and may expose the dataset to unauthorized access.
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