DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A company is building a data lake on AWS and must encrypt data at rest. Which services can provide server-side encryption for data stored in Amazon S3? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
SSE-S3
SSE-S3 (Option A) and SSE-KMS (Option E) are the two server-side encryption options for Amazon S3. SSE-S3 uses Amazon-managed keys, while SSE-KMS uses AWS KMS-managed keys. Option B (SSL/TLS) is encryption in transit, not at rest. Option C (AWS SDK client-side encryption) encrypts data before it reaches S3, so it is client-side, not server-side. Option D (AWS CloudHSM) is a hardware security module for managing keys, but it is not a direct server-side encryption option for S3; S3 does not natively integrate with CloudHSM for SSE.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
SSE-S3
Why this is correct
Server-side encryption with S3 managed keys.
- ✗
SSL/TLS
Why it's wrong here
SSL/TLS is encryption in transit.
- ✗
AWS SDK client-side encryption
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption is performed before data reaches S3.
- ✗
AWS CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
CloudHSM provides hardware security modules but not direct S3 encryption.
- ✓
SSE-KMS
Why this is correct
Server-side encryption with AWS KMS managed keys.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on DEA-C01
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. A data engineer runs the command shown to check the encryption configuration of an S3 bucket. The output shows SSEAlgorithm: AES256. What does this mean?
easy- ✓ A.The bucket uses SSE-S3 with Amazon S3-managed keys
- B.The bucket uses SSE-KMS with a customer-managed key
- C.The bucket uses SSE-C with customer-provided keys
- D.The bucket does not have encryption enabled
Why A: AES256 refers to SSE-S3, where Amazon S3 manages the encryption keys using AES-256. Option B (SSE-KMS) would show 'aws:kms'. Option C (SSE-C) would require the customer to provide keys. Option D (no encryption) is incorrect because encryption is enabled.
Variation 2. Refer to the exhibit. A data engineer queries AWS CloudTrail to investigate a PutObject event. What does the exhibit reveal about the object sensitive.csv?
medium- A.The upload failed due to encryption mismatch.
- ✓ B.The object was uploaded with server-side encryption using AWS KMS.
- C.The object was not encrypted at rest.
- D.The object was encrypted with SSE-S3.
Why B: The CloudTrail event contains `x-amz-server-side-encryption: aws:kms`, which confirms the object was uploaded with server-side encryption using AWS KMS (SSE-KMS). Option A is incorrect because the event shows a successful upload, not a failure. Option C is incorrect because the event indicates encryption was applied. Option D is incorrect because SSE-S3 would show `AES256`, not `aws:kms`.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DEA-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 DEA-C01 exam.