- A
AWS CloudHSM
Why wrong: AWS CloudHSM provides dedicated hardware security modules for customers who need to manage their own keys in a single-tenant HSM. It is more complex and expensive than KMS. KMS is the standard choice for most encryption key management needs.
- B
AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: Secrets Manager stores and rotates secrets like database passwords and API keys. It uses KMS for encryption but is not primarily a key management service.
- C
AWS KMS
KMS creates and manages encryption keys and integrates directly with S3, RDS, EBS, and many other services. All key usage events are automatically logged in CloudTrail, providing the required audit trail.
- D
AWS Certificate Manager
Why wrong: Certificate Manager manages SSL/TLS certificates for securing network communications. It is not a general encryption key management service for data at rest.
Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS). This is the correct choice because KMS is a fully managed service purpose-built to create, rotate, and control encryption keys across integrated AWS services like S3, RDS, and EBS, while automatically logging every key usage event to AWS CloudTrail for a complete audit trail. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of managed key management versus self-managed solutions—a common trap is confusing AWS KMS with AWS CloudHSM, which offers dedicated hardware but lacks automated rotation and native CloudTrail integration. Remember that KMS handles the entire lifecycle: creation, automatic rotation (yearly by default), and audit logging, making it the single service for managed encryption key rotation and audit requirements. A simple memory tip: KMS stands for Key Management Service, and the "M" reminds you it's a managed service that handles rotation and audit for you.
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 encrypts data stored in Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, and Amazon EBS. The security team needs a managed service to create, rotate, and control the encryption keys used to protect this data, with full audit trails of key usage. Which AWS service should they use?
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 KMS
AWS KMS is a managed service that allows you to create, rotate, and control encryption keys used to protect data in Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, and Amazon EBS. It integrates with AWS CloudTrail to provide full audit trails of key usage, meeting the security team's requirements for a managed key management solution.
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 for customers who need to manage their own keys in a single-tenant HSM. It is more complex and expensive than KMS. KMS is the standard choice for most encryption key management needs.
- ✗
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
Secrets Manager stores and rotates secrets like database passwords and API keys. It uses KMS for encryption but is not primarily a key management service.
- ✓
AWS KMS
Why this is correct
KMS creates and manages encryption keys and integrates directly with S3, RDS, EBS, and many other services. All key usage events are automatically logged in CloudTrail, providing the required audit trail.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS Certificate Manager
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS KMS with AWS CloudHSM, mistakenly thinking CloudHSM is required for full control and audit trails, but KMS provides managed key rotation and native CloudTrail integration without the operational overhead of managing HSMs.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS KMS uses FIPS 140-2 validated hardware security modules to protect keys and supports automatic key rotation (yearly for AWS managed keys, optional for customer managed keys). It integrates with CloudTrail to log every key usage event, including the key ID, operation, and principal, enabling detailed audit trails. In a real-world scenario, a company can use KMS with S3 server-side encryption (SSE-KMS) to enforce key rotation policies and control access via key policies and IAM policies.
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 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Security and Compliance practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All CLF-C02 questions
1,024 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
CLF-C02 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
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.
Cloud Concepts practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Concepts.
Security and Compliance practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.
Cloud Technology and Services practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Cloud Technology and Services.
Billing, Pricing, and Support practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to Billing, Pricing, and Support.
AWS shared responsibility model practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS shared responsibility model.
AWS IAM practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS IAM.
AWS pricing practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS pricing.
AWS support plans practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS support plans.
AWS S3 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS S3.
AWS EC2 practice questions
Practise CLF-C02 questions linked to AWS EC2.
Practice this exam
Start a free CLF-C02 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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 KMS — AWS KMS is a managed service that allows you to create, rotate, and control encryption keys used to protect data in Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, and Amazon EBS. It integrates with AWS CloudTrail to provide full audit trails of key usage, meeting the security team's requirements for a managed key management solution.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More CLF-C02 practice questions
- A company publishes a message each time a new product is added to its catalogue. Three services need to receive this mes…
- A media company stores frequently accessed video thumbnails in Amazon S3. The thumbnails are read multiple times every d…
- A company needs a service to translate domain names (like www.example.com) into IP addresses, check the health of their…
- A startup runs an application on AWS and receives a monthly bill that charges exactly for the number of compute hours us…
- A financial institution runs its core banking application on-premises due to regulatory requirements. It has connected i…
- A company wants to run a MySQL database in AWS without managing database software installation, applying patches, settin…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.