The answer is to add the SageMaker execution role to the KMS key policy with the kms:Decrypt permission. This resolves the SageMaker training KMS permission error because the training job cannot read the encrypted dataset unless the role used by SageMaker is explicitly listed as a principal in the key policy with decrypt rights. On the AWS Certified AI Practitioner AIF-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how KMS key policies interact with IAM roles in SageMaker—a common trap is assuming that attaching a policy to the role alone suffices, but the key policy must also grant access. A helpful memory tip: “Key first, role second”—always check the key policy before the role policy when decrypting.
AIF-C01 Practice Question: Security, Compliance and Governance for AI Solutions
This AIF-C01 practice question tests your understanding of security, compliance and governance for ai solutions. 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.
Exhibit
Error: AccessDeniedException: User: arn:aws:sts::123456789012:assumed-role/SageMakerExecutionRole/... is not authorized to perform: kms:Decrypt on resource: arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:123456789012:key/abc123
Refer to the exhibit. A data scientist is training a model in SageMaker using a KMS-encrypted dataset. The training job fails with the error shown. Which action should be taken to resolve this issue?
Error: AccessDeniedException: User: arn:aws:sts::123456789012:assumed-role/SageMakerExecutionRole/... is not authorized to perform: kms:Decrypt on resource: arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:123456789012:key/abc123
A
Add the SageMaker execution role to the KMS key policy with the kms:Decrypt permission.
The key policy must explicitly grant the execution role the kms:Decrypt permission.
B
Create a new KMS key and update the bucket policy to use the new key.
Why wrong: Creating a new key does not resolve the permission issue; the role still needs access.
C
Attach an IAM policy to the SageMaker execution role that allows kms:Decrypt on the key.
Why wrong: While this could work, the key policy must also allow the role; modifying the key policy is more direct and commonly required.
D
Disable server-side encryption on the S3 bucket and use client-side encryption.
Why wrong: This weakens security and does not fix the access denied error.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add the SageMaker execution role to the KMS key policy with the kms:Decrypt permission.
The error indicates the SageMaker execution role lacks permission to decrypt the KMS key. The most direct solution is to add the role to the KMS key policy with the kms:Decrypt permission. Option B is unnecessary; Option C changes encryption approach unnecessarily; Option D is also valid but less direct because the key policy must allow the role anyway, and modifying the key policy is the standard practice for SageMaker.
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.
✓
Add the SageMaker execution role to the KMS key policy with the kms:Decrypt permission.
Why this is correct
The key policy must explicitly grant the execution role the kms:Decrypt permission.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create a new KMS key and update the bucket policy to use the new key.
Why it's wrong here
Creating a new key does not resolve the permission issue; the role still needs access.
✗
Attach an IAM policy to the SageMaker execution role that allows kms:Decrypt on the key.
Why it's wrong here
While this could work, the key policy must also allow the role; modifying the key policy is more direct and commonly required.
✗
Disable server-side encryption on the S3 bucket and use client-side encryption.
Why it's wrong here
This weakens security and does not fix the access denied error.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which AIF-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Security, Compliance and Governance for AI Solutions — This question tests Security, Compliance and Governance for AI Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add the SageMaker execution role to the KMS key policy with the kms:Decrypt permission. — The error indicates the SageMaker execution role lacks permission to decrypt the KMS key. The most direct solution is to add the role to the KMS key policy with the kms:Decrypt permission. Option B is unnecessary; Option C changes encryption approach unnecessarily; Option D is also valid but less direct because the key policy must allow the role anyway, and modifying the key policy is the standard practice for SageMaker.
What should I do if I get this AIF-C01 question wrong?
Identify which AIF-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Refer to the exhibit. A data scientist is trying to run a SageMaker training job that uses training data from an S3 bucket encrypted with the specified KMS key. The training job fails with an access denied error. The IAM role shown is attached to the training job. What is the missing permission?
hard
A.s3:ListBucket
B.kms:GenerateDataKey
✓ C.kms:CreateGrant
D.s3:GetBucketLocation
Why C: When a SageMaker training job accesses encrypted S3 data, it must be granted permission to use the KMS key for decryption. The `kms:CreateGrant` permission allows SageMaker to create a grant on the KMS key, which is required for the service to decrypt the data on behalf of the user. Without this permission, the training job fails with an access denied error even if other KMS actions are allowed.
Last reviewed: Jun 23, 2026
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This AIF-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services 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 AIF-C01 exam.
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