DEA-C01 S3 bucket policy Practice Question
A company uses AWS Glue to process sensitive customer data stored in S3. The data engineer must ensure that the Glue ETL jobs do not write any data to S3 buckets that lack encryption. Which approach meets this requirement?
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
✓
Attach an S3 bucket policy that denies s3:PutObject unless the request includes the x-amz-server-side-encryption header
An S3 bucket policy with a condition key such as s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption can deny s3:PutObject requests that do not specify encryption, thereby preventing unencrypted writes. Option A is incorrect because AWS CloudTrail is an auditing service that logs API calls but does not actively prevent writes. Option C is incorrect because while S3 default encryption automatically encrypts objects at rest, it does not enforce that write requests include encryption headers; the bucket policy approach ensures encryption is explicitly requested. Option D is incorrect because an IAM role policy can also enforce encryption, but a bucket policy is more comprehensive as it applies to all principals accessing the bucket, including the Glue service role.
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 AWS CloudTrail to monitor and alert on unencrypted writes
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail is reactive, not preventive.
- ✓
Attach an S3 bucket policy that denies s3:PutObject unless the request includes the x-amz-server-side-encryption header
Why this is correct
S3 bucket policies can enforce encryption on uploads.
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Enable S3 default encryption on the bucket
Why it's wrong here
Default encryption does not enforce encryption on the write request; it applies after the fact.
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Configure an IAM role for Glue with a policy that denies s3:PutObject without encryption
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. IAM policies can also use the `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` condition key to deny `s3:PutObject` without encryption. However, a bucket policy is more comprehensive as it applies to all principals, including the Glue service role, while an IAM policy only applies to the specific role.
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.