feat(s3): new check s3_bucket_object_public to detect public objects (#9517)

Co-authored-by: Daniel Barranquero <danielbo2001@gmail.com>
2026-07-04 19:21:51 +00:00 · 2026-07-02 16:41:29 +07:00
parent 537c3ea71e
commit e1b23e2526
11 changed files with 590 additions and 4 deletions
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@
        "rolesanywhere:ListTagsForResource",
        "rolesanywhere:ListTrustAnchors",
        "s3:GetAccountPublicAccessBlock",
+        "s3:GetObjectAcl",
+        "s3:ListBucket",
        "shield:DescribeProtection",
        "shield:GetSubscriptionState",
        "securityhub:BatchImportFindings",
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ All notable changes to the **Prowler SDK** are documented in this file.
 - AWS Bedrock AgentCore privilege escalation paths in the IAM privilege escalation checks, covering Runtime, Harness, Code Interpreter and Custom Browser [(#11726)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11726)
 - `--scan-secrets-validate` flag and `aws.secrets_validate` configuration option to optionally validate the secrets discovered by the secret-scanning checks against the provider APIs; secrets confirmed to be live are reported as critical [(#11694)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11694)
 - `apigateway_restapi_no_secrets_in_stage_variables` check for AWS provider, scanning API Gateway REST API stage variables for hardcoded secrets such as passwords, API keys, and tokens [(#11188)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11188)
+- `s3_bucket_object_public` check for AWS provider, spot-checking a configurable sample of object ACLs in each bucket and flagging objects granted to the AllUsers or AuthenticatedUsers groups; disabled by default and opted into via the `s3_bucket_object_public_enabled` configuration option [(#9517)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/9517)
 - Azure provider now supports `--azure-resource-group` to scope resource-level checks to specific resource groups across all accessible subscriptions [(#10657)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/10657)

 ### 🔄 Changed
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ All notable changes to the **Prowler SDK** are documented in this file.
 - Replaced the `detect-secrets` library with [Kingfisher](https://github.com/mongodb/kingfisher) as the engine for the secret-scanning checks; scans run fully offline by default and obvious placeholder values are no longer reported as findings [(#11694)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11694)
 - Removed the `detect_secrets_plugins` configuration option, which is no longer used by the new secret-scanning engine [(#11694)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11694)
 - `awslambda_function_no_secrets_in_code` now supports a `secrets_ignore_files` audit-config option to skip files inside the deployment package by glob pattern (e.g. `*.deps.json`), suppressing .NET dependency-manifest false positives without masking real secrets [(#11222)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11222)
+- AWS scans for EBS snapshots, Backup recovery points, CloudWatch log groups, Lambda functions, ECS task definitions, and CodeArtifact packages now support configurable resource analysis limits via `aws.max_scanned_resources_per_service`; limits are disabled by default and only positive values cap analyzed resources [(#11228)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11228)

 ### 🐞 Fixed

@@ -46,10 +48,6 @@ All notable changes to the **Prowler SDK** are documented in this file.
 - GitHub default branch protection checks now evaluate repository rulesets in addition to classic branch protection, avoiding false positives for repositories that enforce protection through rulesets [(#11723)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11723)
 - Okta, Alibaba Cloud and OpenStack scan-config sections are now validated against a registered schema instead of being silently accepted, so their configurable thresholds (session/idle timeouts, retention days, image-sharing and secret-scanning settings) log a warning and fall back to the built-in default whenever a value is out of range [(#11725)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11725)

-### 🔄 Changed
-
- AWS scans for EBS snapshots, Backup recovery points, CloudWatch log groups, Lambda functions, ECS task definitions, and CodeArtifact packages now support configurable resource analysis limits via `aws.max_scanned_resources_per_service`; limits are disabled by default and only positive values cap analyzed resources [(#11228)](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/pull/11228)
-
 ---

 ## [5.31.1] (Prowler v5.31.1)
@@ -483,6 +483,18 @@ aws:
  # Minimum retention period in hours for Kinesis streams
  min_kinesis_stream_retention_hours: 168 # 7 days

+  # AWS S3 Configuration
+  # aws.s3_bucket_object_public
+  # This check performs a spot-check by sampling object ACLs within a bucket, so
+  # it is disabled by default. For complete coverage, rely on s3_bucket_acl_prohibited
+  # which enforces BucketOwnerEnforced Object Ownership (AWS's recommended approach).
+  # Set s3_bucket_object_public_enabled to True to opt in.
+  s3_bucket_object_public_enabled: False
+  # Maximum number of objects to list per bucket (upper bound for the sampling pool)
+  s3_bucket_object_public_max_objects: 100
+  # Number of objects to randomly sample from the listed pool and inspect ACLs for
+  s3_bucket_object_public_sample_size: 3
+
  # AWS CodeBuild Configuration
  # aws.codebuild_project_uses_allowed_github_organizations
  codebuild_github_allowed_organizations:
@@ -458,3 +458,31 @@ class AWSProviderConfig(ProviderConfigBase):
        le=8760,
        description="Hours of Kinesis stream retention. Range: 24..8760 (1 day .. 1 year).",
    )
+
+    # --- S3 --------------------------------------------------------------
+    s3_bucket_object_public_enabled: Optional[bool] = Field(
+        default=None,
+        description=(
+            "Enable the s3_bucket_object_public spot-check, which samples object "
+            "ACLs per bucket. Disabled by default because it lists and reads object "
+            "ACLs, which is expensive on large buckets."
+        ),
+    )
+    s3_bucket_object_public_max_objects: Optional[int] = Field(
+        default=None,
+        ge=1,
+        le=1000,
+        description=(
+            "Max objects to list per bucket as the sampling pool. Range: 1..1000 "
+            "(ListObjectsV2 returns at most 1000 keys per page)."
+        ),
+    )
+    s3_bucket_object_public_sample_size: Optional[int] = Field(
+        default=None,
+        ge=1,
+        le=1000,
+        description=(
+            "Number of objects sampled from the listed pool for ACL inspection. "
+            "Range: 1..1000. Must be positive to avoid a no-op or invalid sample."
+        ),
+    )
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+{
+  "Provider": "aws",
+  "CheckID": "s3_bucket_object_public",
+  "CheckTitle": "Spot-check S3 bucket objects for public ACLs",
+  "CheckType": [
+    "Software and Configuration Checks/AWS Security Best Practices",
+    "Effects/Data Exposure"
+  ],
+  "ServiceName": "s3",
+  "SubServiceName": "",
+  "ResourceIdTemplate": "arn:partition:s3:::resource",
+  "Severity": "low",
+  "ResourceType": "AwsS3Bucket",
+  "Description": "Spot-checks a configurable sample of objects in each S3 bucket and flags any whose ACL grants access to the AllUsers or AuthenticatedUsers groups. This is a sampling-based check, not a comprehensive audit, so public objects outside the sample can be missed. It is disabled by default and must be enabled via the s3_bucket_object_public_enabled configuration flag.",
+  "Risk": "Public objects can be accessed by anyone on the internet, potentially leaking sensitive data. A bucket can appear private at the bucket-policy level while still containing individual objects with public ACL grants.",
+  "RelatedUrl": "",
+  "Remediation": {
+    "Code": {
+      "CLI": "aws s3api put-object-acl --bucket <bucket_name> --key <object_key> --acl private",
+      "NativeIaC": "",
+      "Other": "",
+      "Terraform": ""
+    },
+    "Recommendation": {
+      "Text": "For complete coverage, enable the s3_bucket_acl_prohibited check, which enforces the BucketOwnerEnforced Object Ownership setting (AWS's recommended approach since April 2023) and prevents public object ACLs entirely. Use this spot-check as a supplementary tool for manual assessments.",
+      "Url": "https://hub.prowler.com/check/s3_bucket_object_public"
+    }
+  },
+  "Categories": [
+    "internet-exposed"
+  ],
+  "DependsOn": [],
+  "RelatedTo": [
+    "s3_bucket_acl_prohibited"
+  ],
+  "Notes": "Disabled by default. Configure s3_bucket_object_public_enabled, s3_bucket_object_public_max_objects, and s3_bucket_object_public_sample_size in the Prowler configuration. Because only a sample of objects is inspected, a PASS does not guarantee the bucket is free of public objects; use s3_bucket_acl_prohibited for full assurance."
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+from typing import List
+
+from prowler.lib.check.models import Check, Check_Report_AWS
+from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_client import s3_client
+
+# ACL grantee groups that make an object effectively public. AllUsers is anyone on
+# the internet; AuthenticatedUsers is any authenticated AWS principal (any account).
+PUBLIC_ACL_URIS = {
+    "http://acs.amazonaws.com/groups/global/AllUsers",
+    "http://acs.amazonaws.com/groups/global/AuthenticatedUsers",
+}
+
+
+class s3_bucket_object_public(Check):
+    """Spot-check a sample of S3 bucket objects for public ACL grants."""
+
+    def execute(self) -> List[Check_Report_AWS]:
+        """Evaluate sampled object ACLs for AllUsers/AuthenticatedUsers grants.
+
+        Returns:
+            List[Check_Report_AWS]: One report per sampled bucket (empty when the
+            check is disabled via configuration).
+        """
+        findings = []
+
+        if not s3_client.audit_config.get("s3_bucket_object_public_enabled", False):
+            return findings
+
+        for bucket in s3_client.buckets.values():
+            sampling = bucket.object_sampling
+            # Sampling is populated by the service layer only when the check is
+            # enabled; skip any bucket that was not sampled.
+            if sampling is None or not sampling.performed:
+                continue
+
+            report = Check_Report_AWS(metadata=self.metadata(), resource=bucket)
+
+            if sampling.error_code is not None:
+                report.status = "MANUAL"
+                if sampling.error_code == "AccessDenied":
+                    report.status_extended = (
+                        f"Access Denied when spot-checking objects in bucket "
+                        f"{bucket.name}."
+                    )
+                else:
+                    report.status_extended = (
+                        f"Could not spot-check objects in bucket {bucket.name}: "
+                        f"{sampling.error_message}."
+                    )
+            elif sampling.is_empty:
+                report.status = "PASS"
+                report.status_extended = f"S3 Bucket {bucket.name} is empty."
+            else:
+                public_objects = [
+                    obj.key
+                    for obj in sampling.objects
+                    if any(
+                        grantee.type == "Group" and grantee.URI in PUBLIC_ACL_URIS
+                        for grantee in obj.grantees
+                    )
+                ]
+                sampled = len(sampling.objects)
+
+                if public_objects:
+                    report.status = "FAIL"
+                    report.status_extended = (
+                        f"S3 Bucket {bucket.name} has public objects detected in "
+                        f"spot-check sample of {sampled} objects: "
+                        f"{', '.join(public_objects)}."
+                    )
+                else:
+                    report.status = "PASS"
+                    report.status_extended = (
+                        f"No public objects detected in spot-check sample of "
+                        f"{sampled} objects in bucket {bucket.name}. For complete "
+                        f"assurance, ensure ACLs are disabled via Object Ownership "
+                        f"settings."
+                    )
+
+            findings.append(report)
+
+        return findings
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@ class S3(AWSService):
        self.__threading_call__(
            self._get_bucket_notification_configuration, self.buckets.values()
        )
+        # Object-level ACL sampling is expensive and opt-in, so only run it when
+        # the s3_bucket_object_public check is explicitly enabled in the config.
+        if self.audit_config.get("s3_bucket_object_public_enabled", False):
+            self.__threading_call__(self._get_public_objects, self.buckets.values())

    def _list_buckets(self, provider):
        logger.info("S3 - Listing buckets...")
@@ -487,6 +491,69 @@ class S3(AWSService):
                f"{error.__class__.__name__}[{error.__traceback__.tb_lineno}]: {error}"
            )

+    def _get_public_objects(self, bucket):
+        logger.info("S3 - Spot-checking bucket objects for public ACLs...")
+        max_objects = self.audit_config.get("s3_bucket_object_public_max_objects", 100)
+        sample_size = self.audit_config.get("s3_bucket_object_public_sample_size", 3)
+        # Guard against misconfigured non-positive values: a zero sample size would
+        # raise ZeroDivisionError and a negative one would silently sample nothing.
+        if not isinstance(max_objects, int) or max_objects <= 0:
+            max_objects = 100
+        if not isinstance(sample_size, int) or sample_size <= 0:
+            sample_size = 3
+        sampling = BucketObjectSampling(performed=True)
+        regional_client = None
+        try:
+            regional_client = self.regional_clients[bucket.region]
+            contents = regional_client.list_objects_v2(
+                Bucket=bucket.name, MaxKeys=max_objects
+            ).get("Contents", [])
+
+            if not contents:
+                sampling.is_empty = True
+                bucket.object_sampling = sampling
+                return
+
+            all_keys = [obj["Key"] for obj in contents]
+            # Deterministic, evenly-spaced sampling so findings are reproducible
+            # across scans instead of flipping between PASS/FAIL with a random sample.
+            if len(all_keys) <= sample_size:
+                sample_keys = all_keys
+            else:
+                step = len(all_keys) // sample_size
+                sample_keys = [all_keys[i * step] for i in range(sample_size)]
+
+            for key in sample_keys:
+                acl = regional_client.get_object_acl(Bucket=bucket.name, Key=key)
+                grantees = []
+                for grant in acl.get("Grants", []):
+                    grant_grantee = grant.get("Grantee", {})
+                    grantee = ACL_Grantee(type=grant_grantee.get("Type", ""))
+                    grantee.display_name = grant_grantee.get("DisplayName")
+                    grantee.ID = grant_grantee.get("ID")
+                    grantee.URI = grant_grantee.get("URI")
+                    grantee.permission = grant.get("Permission")
+                    grantees.append(grantee)
+                sampling.objects.append(ObjectACL(key=key, grantees=grantees))
+
+            bucket.object_sampling = sampling
+        except ClientError as error:
+            sampling.error_code = error.response["Error"]["Code"]
+            sampling.error_message = str(error)
+            bucket.object_sampling = sampling
+            region = regional_client.region if regional_client else bucket.region
+            logger.warning(
+                f"{region} -- {error.__class__.__name__}[{error.__traceback__.tb_lineno}]: {error}"
+            )
+        except Exception as error:
+            sampling.error_code = error.__class__.__name__
+            sampling.error_message = str(error)
+            bucket.object_sampling = sampling
+            region = regional_client.region if regional_client else bucket.region
+            logger.error(
+                f"{region} -- {error.__class__.__name__}[{error.__traceback__.tb_lineno}]: {error}"
+            )
+
    def _head_bucket(self, bucket_name):
        logger.info("S3 - Checking if bucket exists...")
        try:
@@ -654,6 +721,19 @@ class PublicAccessBlock(BaseModel):
    restrict_public_buckets: bool


+class ObjectACL(BaseModel):
+    key: str
+    grantees: List[ACL_Grantee] = Field(default_factory=list)
+
+
+class BucketObjectSampling(BaseModel):
+    performed: bool = False
+    is_empty: bool = False
+    objects: List[ObjectACL] = Field(default_factory=list)
+    error_code: Optional[str] = None
+    error_message: Optional[str] = None
+
+
 class AccessPoint(BaseModel):
    arn: str
    account_id: str
@@ -703,3 +783,4 @@ class Bucket(BaseModel):
    lifecycle: List[LifeCycleRule] = Field(default_factory=list)
    replication_rules: List[ReplicationRule] = Field(default_factory=list)
    notification_config: Dict = Field(default_factory=dict)
+    object_sampling: Optional[BucketObjectSampling] = None
@@ -0,0 +1,302 @@
+from unittest import mock
+
+from boto3 import client
+from botocore.exceptions import ClientError
+from moto import mock_aws
+
+from tests.providers.aws.utils import AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1, set_mocked_aws_provider
+
+CHECK_MODULE = (
+    "prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_bucket_object_public.s3_bucket_object_public"
+)
+
+ENABLED_CONFIG = {
+    "s3_bucket_object_public_enabled": True,
+    "s3_bucket_object_public_max_objects": 100,
+    "s3_bucket_object_public_sample_size": 3,
+}
+
+
+class Test_s3_bucket_object_public:
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_check_disabled_by_default_returns_no_findings(self):
+        s3_client_us_east_1 = client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1)
+        s3_client_us_east_1.create_bucket(Bucket="bucket-disabled")
+
+        from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_service import S3
+
+        # No audit_config -> check disabled by default
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider([AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1])
+
+        with mock.patch(
+            "prowler.providers.common.provider.Provider.get_global_provider",
+            return_value=aws_provider,
+        ):
+            s3_service = S3(aws_provider)
+            with mock.patch(f"{CHECK_MODULE}.s3_client", new=s3_service):
+                from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_bucket_object_public.s3_bucket_object_public import (
+                    s3_bucket_object_public,
+                )
+
+                check = s3_bucket_object_public()
+                result = check.execute()
+
+                assert result == []
+
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_no_buckets_returns_no_findings(self):
+        from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_service import S3
+
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider(
+            [AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1], audit_config=ENABLED_CONFIG
+        )
+
+        with mock.patch(
+            "prowler.providers.common.provider.Provider.get_global_provider",
+            return_value=aws_provider,
+        ):
+            s3_service = S3(aws_provider)
+            with mock.patch(f"{CHECK_MODULE}.s3_client", new=s3_service):
+                from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_bucket_object_public.s3_bucket_object_public import (
+                    s3_bucket_object_public,
+                )
+
+                check = s3_bucket_object_public()
+                result = check.execute()
+
+                assert result == []
+
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_bucket_empty_passes(self):
+        s3_client_us_east_1 = client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1)
+        bucket_name = "bucket-empty"
+        s3_client_us_east_1.create_bucket(Bucket=bucket_name)
+
+        from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_service import S3
+
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider(
+            [AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1], audit_config=ENABLED_CONFIG
+        )
+
+        with mock.patch(
+            "prowler.providers.common.provider.Provider.get_global_provider",
+            return_value=aws_provider,
+        ):
+            s3_service = S3(aws_provider)
+            with mock.patch(f"{CHECK_MODULE}.s3_client", new=s3_service):
+                from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_bucket_object_public.s3_bucket_object_public import (
+                    s3_bucket_object_public,
+                )
+
+                check = s3_bucket_object_public()
+                result = check.execute()
+
+                assert len(result) == 1
+                assert result[0].status == "PASS"
+                assert result[0].status_extended == (
+                    f"S3 Bucket {bucket_name} is empty."
+                )
+                assert result[0].resource_id == bucket_name
+                assert result[0].region == AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1
+
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_bucket_with_only_private_objects_passes(self):
+        s3_client_us_east_1 = client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1)
+        bucket_name = "bucket-private-objects"
+        s3_client_us_east_1.create_bucket(Bucket=bucket_name)
+        s3_client_us_east_1.put_object(
+            Bucket=bucket_name, Key="private-1.txt", Body=b"x"
+        )
+        s3_client_us_east_1.put_object(
+            Bucket=bucket_name, Key="private-2.txt", Body=b"x"
+        )
+
+        from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_service import S3
+
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider(
+            [AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1], audit_config=ENABLED_CONFIG
+        )
+
+        with mock.patch(
+            "prowler.providers.common.provider.Provider.get_global_provider",
+            return_value=aws_provider,
+        ):
+            s3_service = S3(aws_provider)
+            with mock.patch(f"{CHECK_MODULE}.s3_client", new=s3_service):
+                from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_bucket_object_public.s3_bucket_object_public import (
+                    s3_bucket_object_public,
+                )
+
+                check = s3_bucket_object_public()
+                result = check.execute()
+
+                assert len(result) == 1
+                assert result[0].status == "PASS"
+                assert "No public objects detected in spot-check sample of" in (
+                    result[0].status_extended
+                )
+                assert bucket_name in result[0].status_extended
+                assert (
+                    "For complete assurance, ensure ACLs are disabled via "
+                    "Object Ownership settings."
+                ) in result[0].status_extended
+
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_bucket_with_public_object_fails(self):
+        s3_client_us_east_1 = client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1)
+        bucket_name = "bucket-public-object"
+        public_key = "public.txt"
+        s3_client_us_east_1.create_bucket(Bucket=bucket_name)
+        s3_client_us_east_1.put_object(Bucket=bucket_name, Key=public_key, Body=b"x")
+        s3_client_us_east_1.put_object_acl(
+            Bucket=bucket_name, Key=public_key, ACL="public-read"
+        )
+
+        from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_service import S3
+
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider(
+            [AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1], audit_config=ENABLED_CONFIG
+        )
+
+        with mock.patch(
+            "prowler.providers.common.provider.Provider.get_global_provider",
+            return_value=aws_provider,
+        ):
+            s3_service = S3(aws_provider)
+            with mock.patch(f"{CHECK_MODULE}.s3_client", new=s3_service):
+                from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_bucket_object_public.s3_bucket_object_public import (
+                    s3_bucket_object_public,
+                )
+
+                check = s3_bucket_object_public()
+                result = check.execute()
+
+                assert len(result) == 1
+                assert result[0].status == "FAIL"
+                assert public_key in result[0].status_extended
+                assert (
+                    f"S3 Bucket {bucket_name} has public objects detected in "
+                    "spot-check sample of"
+                ) in result[0].status_extended
+
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_bucket_with_authenticated_users_object_fails(self):
+        s3_client_us_east_1 = client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1)
+        bucket_name = "bucket-authenticated-object"
+        public_key = "authenticated.txt"
+        s3_client_us_east_1.create_bucket(Bucket=bucket_name)
+        s3_client_us_east_1.put_object(Bucket=bucket_name, Key=public_key, Body=b"x")
+        s3_client_us_east_1.put_object_acl(
+            Bucket=bucket_name, Key=public_key, ACL="authenticated-read"
+        )
+
+        from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_service import S3
+
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider(
+            [AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1], audit_config=ENABLED_CONFIG
+        )
+
+        with mock.patch(
+            "prowler.providers.common.provider.Provider.get_global_provider",
+            return_value=aws_provider,
+        ):
+            s3_service = S3(aws_provider)
+            with mock.patch(f"{CHECK_MODULE}.s3_client", new=s3_service):
+                from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_bucket_object_public.s3_bucket_object_public import (
+                    s3_bucket_object_public,
+                )
+
+                check = s3_bucket_object_public()
+                result = check.execute()
+
+                assert len(result) == 1
+                assert result[0].status == "FAIL"
+                assert public_key in result[0].status_extended
+
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_access_denied_on_list_objects_reports_manual(self):
+        s3_client_us_east_1 = client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1)
+        bucket_name = "bucket-access-denied"
+        s3_client_us_east_1.create_bucket(Bucket=bucket_name)
+
+        from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_service import S3
+
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider(
+            [AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1], audit_config=ENABLED_CONFIG
+        )
+
+        with mock.patch(
+            "prowler.providers.common.provider.Provider.get_global_provider",
+            return_value=aws_provider,
+        ):
+            s3_service = S3(aws_provider)
+
+            # Simulate AccessDenied when sampling and re-run sampling for the bucket
+            regional_client = mock.MagicMock()
+            regional_client.region = AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1
+            regional_client.list_objects_v2.side_effect = ClientError(
+                {"Error": {"Code": "AccessDenied", "Message": "denied"}},
+                "ListObjectsV2",
+            )
+            s3_service.regional_clients[AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1] = regional_client
+            bucket = next(iter(s3_service.buckets.values()))
+            bucket.object_sampling = None
+            s3_service._get_public_objects(bucket)
+
+            with mock.patch(f"{CHECK_MODULE}.s3_client", new=s3_service):
+                from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_bucket_object_public.s3_bucket_object_public import (
+                    s3_bucket_object_public,
+                )
+
+                check = s3_bucket_object_public()
+                result = check.execute()
+
+                assert len(result) == 1
+                assert result[0].status == "MANUAL"
+                assert result[0].status_extended == (
+                    f"Access Denied when spot-checking objects in bucket "
+                    f"{bucket_name}."
+                )
+
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_other_client_error_reports_manual(self):
+        s3_client_us_east_1 = client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1)
+        bucket_name = "bucket-other-error"
+        s3_client_us_east_1.create_bucket(Bucket=bucket_name)
+
+        from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_service import S3
+
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider(
+            [AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1], audit_config=ENABLED_CONFIG
+        )
+
+        with mock.patch(
+            "prowler.providers.common.provider.Provider.get_global_provider",
+            return_value=aws_provider,
+        ):
+            s3_service = S3(aws_provider)
+
+            regional_client = mock.MagicMock()
+            regional_client.region = AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1
+            regional_client.list_objects_v2.side_effect = ClientError(
+                {"Error": {"Code": "InternalError", "Message": "boom"}},
+                "ListObjectsV2",
+            )
+            s3_service.regional_clients[AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1] = regional_client
+            bucket = next(iter(s3_service.buckets.values()))
+            bucket.object_sampling = None
+            s3_service._get_public_objects(bucket)
+
+            with mock.patch(f"{CHECK_MODULE}.s3_client", new=s3_service):
+                from prowler.providers.aws.services.s3.s3_bucket_object_public.s3_bucket_object_public import (
+                    s3_bucket_object_public,
+                )
+
+                check = s3_bucket_object_public()
+                result = check.execute()
+
+                assert len(result) == 1
+                assert result[0].status == "MANUAL"
+                assert (
+                    f"Could not spot-check objects in bucket {bucket_name}"
+                ) in result[0].status_extended
@@ -642,3 +642,47 @@ class Test_S3_Service:
        assert s3control.access_points[arn].public_access_block.ignore_public_acls
        assert s3control.access_points[arn].public_access_block.block_public_policy
        assert s3control.access_points[arn].public_access_block.restrict_public_buckets
+
+    # Test S3 object ACL sampling is skipped unless the check is enabled
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_get_public_objects_disabled_by_default(self):
+        s3_client = client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1)
+        bucket_name = "test-bucket"
+        bucket_arn = f"arn:aws:s3:::{bucket_name}"
+        s3_client.create_bucket(Bucket=bucket_name)
+        s3_client.put_object(Bucket=bucket_name, Key="a.txt", Body=b"x")
+
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider([AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1])
+        s3 = S3(aws_provider)
+
+        assert s3.buckets[bucket_arn].object_sampling is None
+
+    # Test S3 object ACL sampling detects a public object when enabled
+    @mock_aws
+    def test_get_public_objects_detects_public_acl(self):
+        s3_client = client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1)
+        bucket_name = "test-bucket"
+        bucket_arn = f"arn:aws:s3:::{bucket_name}"
+        s3_client.create_bucket(Bucket=bucket_name)
+        s3_client.put_object(Bucket=bucket_name, Key="public.txt", Body=b"x")
+        s3_client.put_object_acl(
+            Bucket=bucket_name, Key="public.txt", ACL="public-read"
+        )
+
+        aws_provider = set_mocked_aws_provider(
+            [AWS_REGION_US_EAST_1],
+            audit_config={"s3_bucket_object_public_enabled": True},
+        )
+        s3 = S3(aws_provider)
+
+        sampling = s3.buckets[bucket_arn].object_sampling
+        assert sampling is not None
+        assert sampling.performed is True
+        assert sampling.is_empty is False
+        assert len(sampling.objects) == 1
+        assert sampling.objects[0].key == "public.txt"
+        assert any(
+            grantee.type == "Group"
+            and grantee.URI == "http://acs.amazonaws.com/groups/global/AllUsers"
+            for grantee in sampling.objects[0].grantees
+        )