The answer is to use SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key and enable CloudTrail data events for that key. This configuration is correct because SSE-KMS with a customer-managed key gives you full control over the encryption key lifecycle, including rotation, disabling, and deletion, which directly meets the security team’s requirement for customer-managed encryption. Enabling CloudTrail data events for the specific KMS key captures all KMS Decrypt API calls, creating the necessary audit trail for compliance with financial data regulations. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of the distinction between SSE-S3, SSE-KMS, and SSE-C, and the critical difference that only KMS keys can be audited via CloudTrail data events. A common trap is confusing management events (which log key creation or deletion) with data events (which log actual decrypt operations); remember that decrypt calls are data events. Memory tip: “Data events for Decrypt” — if you need to audit who is reading your data, you must enable data-level logging.
DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 uses Amazon S3 to store sensitive financial data. The security team requires that all objects be encrypted at rest using AWS KMS with a customer-managed key. Additionally, they want to audit all KMS decrypt calls for compliance. Which configuration should be used to meet these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key and enable CloudTrail data events for the key.
Option C is correct because SSE-KMS with a customer-managed key allows the company to control the encryption key lifecycle and meet the requirement for customer-managed keys. Enabling CloudTrail data events for the KMS key captures all decrypt API calls, providing the necessary audit trail for compliance.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 on the bucket with SSE-KMS using an AWS managed key.
Why it's wrong here
AWS managed keys do not provide customer control and key rotation auditing.
✗
Use SSE-S3 with a bucket policy that denies uploads without encryption.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 does not use customer-managed keys.
✓
Use SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key and enable CloudTrail data events for the key.
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS with customer-managed key and CloudTrail auditing meets requirements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use SSE-C with client-managed keys and log S3 API calls.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-C does not use KMS and cannot be audited via CloudTrail KMS events.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse enabling default encryption on the bucket (which can use SSE-KMS) with the need for a customer-managed key and CloudTrail data events, or they may think SSE-S3 or SSE-C can satisfy the audit requirement without KMS-specific logging.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When using SSE-KMS, each object is encrypted with a unique data key that is itself encrypted by the KMS customer-managed key. CloudTrail data events for the KMS key record every Decrypt API call, including the key ID, principal, and timestamp, which is essential for compliance audits. A common subtlety is that enabling CloudTrail data events incurs additional costs, but it is the only way to log KMS decrypt operations at the granularity required.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Data Store Management — This question tests Data Store Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use SSE-KMS with a customer-managed KMS key and enable CloudTrail data events for the key. — Option C is correct because SSE-KMS with a customer-managed key allows the company to control the encryption key lifecycle and meet the requirement for customer-managed keys. Enabling CloudTrail data events for the KMS key captures all decrypt API calls, providing the necessary audit trail for compliance.
What should I do if I get this DEA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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