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A company's security policy requires that all Amazon S3 buckets have default encryption enabled (SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS). A recent audit found several buckets without encryption enabled. The company wants an automated solution to continuously monitor all existing and new S3 buckets, detect any bucket that does not have default encryption enabled, and automatically remediate by enabling encryption. The solution must also maintain a compliance score and allow the security team to review non-compliant resources. Which AWS service should the company use to meet these requirements?

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A company's security policy requires that all Amazon S3 buckets have default encryption enabled (SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS). A recent audit found several buckets without encryption enabled. The company wants an automated solution to continuously monitor all existing and new S3 buckets, detect any bucket that does not have default encryption enabled, and automatically remediate by enabling encryption. The solution must also maintain a compliance score and allow the security team to review non-compliant resources. Which AWS service should the company use to meet these requirements?

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.

A

Best answer

AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) and an automatic remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document

AWS Config continuously evaluates resource configurations against rules. The managed rule checks for S3 bucket default encryption. Automatic remediation via Systems Manager Automation can enable encryption on non-compliant buckets. This meets all stated requirements: continuous monitoring, detection, remediation, compliance score, and review capability.

B

Distractor review

Amazon GuardDuty with a finding type for S3 bucket encryption

Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that identifies malicious activity and unauthorized behavior. It does not monitor configuration compliance such as S3 bucket encryption settings, nor does it provide automatic remediation or compliance scores.

C

Distractor review

AWS Trusted Advisor with the S3 Bucket Permissions check

AWS Trusted Advisor checks S3 bucket permissions (public access) but not default encryption. It provides recommendations but does not automatically remediate or maintain a compliance score for encryption settings.

D

Distractor review

AWS CloudTrail with a trail that logs S3 API calls and an Amazon CloudWatch alarm

AWS CloudTrail records API activity for audit purposes. It does not monitor current resource configurations, enforce encryption policies, or provide automatic remediation. CloudWatch alarms can notify on specific events but cannot detect non-compliant bucket encryption states or fix them.

Common exam trap

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.

Technical deep dive

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.

Related practice questions

Related CLF-C02 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

More questions from this exam

Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.

Question 1

A developer needs to launch a test server for a new application prototype. The developer logs into the AWS Management Console, selects an Amazon EC2 instance type, configures the security group, and starts the instance. The instance is running within two minutes, and the developer did not need to submit a formal request to the company's IT procurement team or wait for approval from a cloud administrator. Which essential characteristic of cloud computing does this scenario best demonstrate?

Question 2

A solutions architect is planning a new web application on AWS. The workload will include 3 Amazon EC2 instances (t3.medium) running 24/7, an Application Load Balancer, and an Amazon RDS for MySQL db.t3.small database. The architect needs to estimate the monthly cost for the first year, considering different purchasing options (On-Demand, 1-year All Upfront Reserved Instance, and Compute Savings Plan). Which AWS tool should the architect use to create this estimate?

Question 3

A company's development team frequently needs temporary test environments. A developer can log into the AWS Management Console, select an Amazon EC2 instance type, configure storage, and launch the instance within minutes without any interaction with the IT infrastructure team. This capability is an example of which essential characteristic of cloud computing?

Question 4

A company's finance team needs to analyze AWS spending in detail. They require a report that includes hourly cost data for each AWS service, each individual resource (e.g., a specific EC2 instance), and any cost allocation tags applied. The team plans to export this data to an Amazon S3 bucket and then import it into a custom business intelligence (BI) analytics dashboard. Which AWS tool should the finance team use to generate this level of detailed cost data?

Question 5

A company uses AWS for its development environment. The finance team wants to set a monthly budget of $10,000. They want to receive an email notification when the actual costs reach 80% of the budget ($8,000) and again when costs exceed the budget. The team needs a managed AWS service that can automatically send these alerts without requiring custom code or third-party tools. Which AWS service should the team use?

Question 6

A company uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team needs to enforce a policy that restricts SSH access (port 22) from the internet (0.0.0.0/0) in all VPCs across all accounts. The team wants to centrally define the allowed rules and automatically apply them to newly created VPCs and security groups, while also automatically remediating any existing non-compliant security groups. Which AWS service should the team use?

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this CLF-C02 question test?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) and an automatic remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document — AWS Config is the correct service because it provides continuous monitoring of resource configurations against desired policies (rules). The managed rule 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' checks if S3 buckets have default encryption. AWS Config can also trigger automatic remediation actions, such as an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that enables encryption on non-compliant buckets. AWS Config provides a compliance dashboard and history of configuration changes, satisfying all requirements. The other options do not provide configuration compliance monitoring or automatic remediation: GuardDuty is for threat detection, Trusted Advisor checks best practices but does not automatically remediate, and CloudTrail logs API calls but cannot enforce encryption policies.

What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.

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