- A
AWS CloudHSM
Why wrong: AWS CloudHSM provides dedicated hardware security modules (HSMs) for key storage, but it does not offer built-in automatic key rotation. Customers must build and manage their own rotation scripts, increasing operational overhead. It is not a fully managed key rotation service.
- B
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why wrong: AWS Certificate Manager is used to provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates. It does not manage encryption keys for Amazon EBS volumes or provide automatic key rotation for such encryption.
- C
AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS)
AWS KMS is a fully managed service that enables you to create, control, and rotate customer-managed keys. It supports automatic annual key rotation for customer managed keys with a simple checkbox, and integrates seamlessly with Amazon EBS for encryption at rest, meeting the policy requirements with minimal overhead.
- D
AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: AWS Secrets Manager is designed to securely store, rotate, and manage secrets such as database credentials, API keys, and other sensitive information. It is not intended for managing encryption keys for EBS volumes, and it does not integrate with EBS encryption.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS). KMS provides managed customer master keys (CMKs) that integrate directly with Amazon EBS to enforce encryption at rest, and it supports automatic annual key rotation every 365 days with zero operational overhead, meeting both the encryption and rotation requirements without manual intervention. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of how KMS handles ebs encryption kms automatic key rotation as a fully managed service, often contrasting it with AWS CloudHSM, which requires manual rotation and is not managed. A common trap is confusing KMS’s automatic rotation with manual rotation in CloudHSM or assuming EBS encryption by default uses AWS managed keys, but the policy explicitly requires customer-managed keys with rotation. Memory tip: KMS rotates keys on its own schedule—think “KMS Keeps My Schedule” for automatic 365-day rotation.
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
A company has a security policy that requires all Amazon EBS volumes attached to production Amazon EC2 instances to be encrypted at rest using customer-managed encryption keys. The policy also mandates that the encryption keys must be automatically rotated every 365 days. The company wants to minimize operational overhead by using a managed AWS service for key management and automatic rotation. Which AWS service should the company use to meet these requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS)
AWS KMS is the correct choice because it provides managed customer master keys (CMKs) that can be used to encrypt EBS volumes at rest, and it supports automatic annual key rotation (every 365 days) with no additional operational overhead. KMS integrates directly with EBS to enforce encryption using customer-managed keys, meeting both the encryption and rotation requirements.
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.
- ✗
AWS CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
AWS CloudHSM provides dedicated hardware security modules (HSMs) for key storage, but it does not offer built-in automatic key rotation. Customers must build and manage their own rotation scripts, increasing operational overhead. It is not a fully managed key rotation service.
- ✗
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why it's wrong here
AWS Certificate Manager is used to provision, manage, and deploy public and private SSL/TLS certificates. It does not manage encryption keys for Amazon EBS volumes or provide automatic key rotation for such encryption.
- ✓
AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS)
Why this is correct
AWS KMS is a fully managed service that enables you to create, control, and rotate customer-managed keys. It supports automatic annual key rotation for customer managed keys with a simple checkbox, and integrates seamlessly with Amazon EBS for encryption at rest, meeting the policy requirements with minimal overhead.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
AWS Secrets Manager is designed to securely store, rotate, and manage secrets such as database credentials, API keys, and other sensitive information. It is not intended for managing encryption keys for EBS volumes, and it does not integrate with EBS encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse AWS CloudHSM with KMS, thinking CloudHSM also provides automatic rotation, but CloudHSM requires manual rotation and does not natively integrate with EBS encryption policies.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS KMS uses envelope encryption, where a CMK encrypts a data key that is then used to encrypt the EBS volume; automatic rotation creates a new backing key for the CMK every 365 days while retaining the old key for decryption of existing data. This ensures that newly encrypted volumes use the latest key material without breaking access to previously encrypted data. In a real-world scenario, if the company needs to audit key usage, KMS integrates with AWS CloudTrail to log every key operation.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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Security and Compliance practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) — AWS KMS is the correct choice because it provides managed customer master keys (CMKs) that can be used to encrypt EBS volumes at rest, and it supports automatic annual key rotation (every 365 days) with no additional operational overhead. KMS integrates directly with EBS to enforce encryption using customer-managed keys, meeting both the encryption and rotation requirements.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This CLF-C02 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 CLF-C02 exam.
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