DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A company is using Amazon S3 to store sensitive customer data. The security team requires that all data be encrypted in transit and at rest. Additionally, they want to prevent any accidental public access. Which combination of actions should the data engineer take?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers think bucket ACLs or client-side encryption alone satisfy the requirements, but the exam tests that S3 Block Public Access is needed to fully prevent accidental public access and that HTTPS enforcement is mandatory for encryption in transit.
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
✓
Enable default encryption with SSE-S3, enforce HTTPS only via bucket policy, and enable S3 Block Public Access.
Enabling default encryption with SSE-S3 ensures data is encrypted at rest automatically, enforcing HTTPS only via bucket policy ensures encryption in transit by rejecting HTTP requests, and enabling S3 Block Public Access prevents any accidental public exposure regardless of bucket policies or ACLs. This combination satisfies all security requirements: encryption in transit, encryption at rest, and prevention of public access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable default encryption with SSE-S3, enforce HTTPS only via bucket policy, and enable S3 Block Public Access.
Why this is correct
SSE-S3 default encryption protects data at rest, a bucket policy denying non-TLS requests enforces encryption in transit, and S3 Block Public Access prevents accidental exposure. Together these satisfy all three stated requirements: encryption at rest, encryption in transit, and no public access.
- ✗
Enable default encryption with SSE-KMS, allow both HTTP and HTTPS, and set bucket ACLs to private.
Why it's wrong here
Permitting HTTP fails the in-transit encryption requirement, and private ACLs do not prevent future public grants the way Block Public Access does. It tempts because SSE-KMS satisfies encryption at rest, so this pairing would be correct where only storage encryption and per-object privacy are required.
- ✗
Use client-side encryption, enforce HTTPS via bucket policy, and enable S3 Block Public Access.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption handles data at rest, but places the burden of key management entirely on the client, which can introduce operational overhead and potential security risks if not implemented perfectly. For sensitive data, server-side encryption (SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS) is typically preferred as it offloads key management to AWS, integrating seamlessly and often simplifying compliance. This option is tempting because client-side encryption does achieve encryption at rest, and the other two actions (HTTPS and Block Public Access) are correct for their respective requirements.
- ✗
Enable default encryption with SSE-S3, allow HTTP and HTTPS, and use bucket ACLs to block public access.
Why it's wrong here
Allowing HTTP leaves data unencrypted in transit, and bucket ACLs are legacy access controls rather than the account-level Block Public Access setting. It tempts because SSE-S3 and ACLs are familiar S3 tools, and this combination would suit a non-sensitive bucket where transit encryption is not mandated.
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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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.