DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A data engineer is configuring an Amazon Redshift cluster to encrypt data at rest. The company policy requires that encryption keys be stored in AWS CloudHSM. Which integration should the engineer use to meet 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
✓
Configure Redshift to use an HSM for encryption.
The correct integration is to configure Amazon Redshift to use an HSM (Hardware Security Module) for encryption. Amazon Redshift supports AWS CloudHSM as an external HSM to store encryption keys. Option A (AWS KMS with a customer managed key) is not the integration for CloudHSM; it uses KMS, not CloudHSM. Option C (SSL/TLS) is for encryption in transit, not at rest. Option D (automatic key rotation) is a feature of Redshift encryption but does not integrate with CloudHSM for key storage.
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 KMS with a customer managed key.
Why it's wrong here
KMS is separate from CloudHSM; CloudHSM is required.
- ✓
Configure Redshift to use an HSM for encryption.
Why this is correct
Redshift supports integration with CloudHSM for key storage.
- ✗
Enable encryption using the AWS Redshift SSL/TLS feature.
Why it's wrong here
SSL/TLS is for data in transit, not at rest.
- ✗
Use Redshift automatic key rotation.
Why it's wrong here
Automatic key rotation is a KMS feature, not CloudHSM.
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.