DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A company needs to encrypt data in transit between an EC2 instance and an S3 bucket. Which method should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse encryption in transit (HTTPS) with encryption at rest (SSE), leading candidates to select server-side encryption even though it does not protect data during network transfer.
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
✓
Use HTTPS endpoints
HTTPS endpoints encrypt data in transit between EC2 and S3 using TLS/SSL, ensuring confidentiality and integrity over the public internet. S3 supports HTTPS natively on its REST endpoints, and the AWS SDKs default to HTTPS, making this the simplest and most secure method for encrypting data in motion.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use HTTPS endpoints
Why this is correct
HTTPS encrypts data in transit using TLS.
- ✗
Use plain HTTP
Why it's wrong here
HTTP does not provide encryption.
- ✗
Use an IPsec VPN
Why it's wrong here
IPsec VPN is for network-to-network encryption.
- ✗
Server-side encryption (SSE)
Why it's wrong here
SSE encrypts data at rest, not in transit.
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.