Which CloudFront feature secures S3 origins by permitting only designated distributions to access S3 buckets?

The correct answer focuses on the feature that specifically allows CloudFront distributions to interact with S3 origins securely by ensuring that only permitted distributions can access the associated S3 buckets. Origin Access Control achieves this by creating a secure configuration between CloudFront and S3, where you can define a set of rules that restrict access to your S3 bucket only to requests coming from CloudFront.

By enabling Origin Access Control, you essentially grant CloudFront permission to access your S3 resources while keeping your S3 bucket private and inaccessible to direct requests from the internet. This method enhances security by creating a barrier that allows only authenticated CloudFront requests to fetch objects from S3, thereby preventing unauthorized access.

Additionally, while S3 Bucket Policies are important for managing permissions at the bucket level, they are not specifically tailored to restrict access to CloudFront distributions. CloudFront Access Policies and Origin Policy Manager are not standard terms or features recognized in the context of securing S3 origins with CloudFront, further emphasizing why Origin Access Control is the appropriate choice. Utilizing this feature is a best practice for securing your S3 origins effectively while leveraging CloudFront’s CDN capabilities.