Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon S3 managed keys (SSE-S3) and AWS KMS with customer-managed keys. SSE-S3 provides encryption at rest using Amazon-managed keys that are automatically rotated annually, meeting the requirement without any manual intervention. AWS KMS allows you to create customer-managed keys and configure automatic yearly rotation, giving you control over the key material while still satisfying the annual rotation policy. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of S3 encryption options and key management services, often appearing as a scenario where you must distinguish between integrated services like SSE-S3 and KMS versus tangential ones like CloudHSM or ACM. A common trap is selecting CloudHSM because it handles keys, but it lacks direct S3 integration for automatic rotation. Remember the mnemonic “SSE-S3 for set-and-forget, KMS for control and compliance” to quickly recall which services support both encryption at rest and automated annual key rotation.
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data security and governance. 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 is designing a data lake on AWS using S3. The security team requires that all data be encrypted at rest and that encryption keys be rotated annually. Which services can be used to meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: For managing secrets, not encryption keys for S3.
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why wrong: For SSL/TLS certificates.
AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS)
Allows customer-managed keys with automatic yearly rotation.
AWS CloudHSM
Why wrong: Not directly integrated with S3 for automatic rotation.
Amazon S3 managed keys (SSE-S3)
Provides encryption at rest with automatic key rotation.
Answer choices
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)
Option A and D are correct. SSE-S3 provides encryption at rest with Amazon-managed keys that are rotated automatically. AWS KMS allows customer-managed keys with manual rotation or automatic yearly rotation. Option B is wrong because CloudHSM provides hardware security modules but is not directly integrated with S3 for automatic key rotation. Option C is wrong because ACM is for TLS certificates. Option E is wrong because Secrets Manager is for secrets, not encryption keys.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
For managing secrets, not encryption keys for S3.
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
Why it's wrong here
For SSL/TLS certificates.
AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS)
Why this is correct
Allows customer-managed keys with automatic yearly rotation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
Not directly integrated with S3 for automatic rotation.
Amazon S3 managed keys (SSE-S3)
Why this is correct
Provides encryption at rest with automatic key rotation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which DEA-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.
Data Security and Governance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Data Security and Governance — This question tests Data Security and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) — Option A and D are correct. SSE-S3 provides encryption at rest with Amazon-managed keys that are rotated automatically. AWS KMS allows customer-managed keys with manual rotation or automatic yearly rotation. Option B is wrong because CloudHSM provides hardware security modules but is not directly integrated with S3 for automatic key rotation. Option C is wrong because ACM is for TLS certificates. Option E is wrong because Secrets Manager is for secrets, not encryption keys.
Identify which DEA-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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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