DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A company needs to protect sensitive data stored in Amazon S3 from unauthorized access. Which TWO actions should the data engineer take? (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
✓
Configure S3 bucket policies to require MFA for delete operations
Option A is correct because an S3 bucket policy can include a condition such as aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent to deny s3:DeleteObject or s3:DeleteBucket unless the request is authenticated with MFA, adding a strong control against unauthorized or accidental deletion of sensitive data. Option D is correct because enabling S3 Block Public Access at the account level applies the four block-public-access settings to every bucket in the account, preventing bucket policies or ACLs from exposing objects publicly and thus blocking a major unauthorized-access vector. Option B is not correct because cross-region replication is a durability/availability and compliance feature that copies objects to another region; it does not by itself prevent unauthorized access. Option C is not correct because a Lifecycle policy transitioning objects to Glacier is a cost/storage-class management action, not an access-control mechanism. Option E is not correct because S3 Versioning preserves prior object versions for recovery but does not restrict who can read or access the data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure S3 bucket policies to require MFA for delete operations
Why this is correct
Bucket policies requiring MFA for delete operations enforce multi-factor authentication before objects can be removed, guarding against compromised credentials and accidental deletion. This satisfies the protection requirement by adding a strong authentication control at the S3 API layer.
- ✗
Enable cross-region replication for all buckets
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region replication copies objects to another bucket but grants no access control, leaving the original objects equally exposed. It is tempting because replication supports durability and compliance goals, and would be correct when the requirement is disaster recovery or regional latency rather than restricting unauthorised access.
- ✗
Set up an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to Glacier
Why it's wrong here
An S3 Lifecycle policy transitions objects between storage classes; it enforces no access control, so unauthorised principals retain whatever permissions they already hold. It is tempting because lifecycle rules genuinely reduce cost and satisfy retention or archival requirements, and would be the right choice when the goal is moving infrequently accessed data to Glacier rather than restricting who can read it.
- ✓
Enable S3 Block Public Access at the account level
Why this is correct
Account-level S3 Block Public Access overrides bucket policies and ACLs, preventing any bucket in the account from becoming publicly accessible. This satisfies the requirement to protect sensitive data from unauthorised access by closing the most common exposure vector.
- ✗
Enable S3 Versioning on all buckets
Why it's wrong here
S3 Versioning preserves prior object states after overwrites or deletions; it grants no access control, so unauthorised principals can still read objects. It is tempting because versioning supports recovery from ransomware or accidental deletion, and would be correct where the requirement is rollback or retention rather than restricting who may retrieve the data.
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 |
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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.