DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A company wants to enable automatic encryption for all new objects written to an S3 bucket. The bucket has existing objects that are unencrypted. Which solution meets these requirements with the least operational overhead?
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 on the bucket using SSE-S3
Enabling default encryption on the bucket using SSE-S3 automatically encrypts all new objects written to the bucket, with minimal operational overhead. Option A is incorrect because lifecycle policies do not encrypt objects; they manage transitions and deletions. Option C is redundant since bucket default encryption already denies unencrypted writes via policy, but the policy itself is additional overhead and not automatic. Option D is incorrect because S3 Batch Operations require manual initiation and only encrypt existing objects, not new ones automatically.
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 a lifecycle policy to transition objects to a new bucket with encryption
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: A lifecycle policy transitions objects between storage classes or deletes them; it does not encrypt objects during upload or after.
- ✓
Enable default encryption on the bucket using SSE-S3
Why this is correct
Correct: Bucket default encryption using SSE-S3 automatically encrypts all new objects without any extra configuration or overhead.
- ✗
Use S3 server-side encryption with S3 managed keys (SSE-S3) and apply a bucket policy that denies writes without encryption
Why it's wrong here
Applying SSE-S3 with a bucket policy effectively enforces encryption for all *new* objects uploaded to the bucket, which is a valid requirement. However, this solution fails to address the existing unencrypted objects mentioned in the scenario. A bucket policy only governs future write operations, providing no mechanism to encrypt previously stored, unencrypted data. It would be the correct choice if only new object encryption was required, or if the bucket contained no existing unencrypted objects.
- ✗
Use S3 Batch Operations to copy existing objects with SSE-S3
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: S3 Batch Operations can encrypt existing objects but are not automatic for new objects and introduce additional complexity and cost.
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.