DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question
A data engineer is designing a data lake on Amazon S3 and needs to ensure that data is encrypted at rest. The company requires that encryption keys be managed by AWS and automatically rotated annually. The engineer also wants to audit key usage. Which S3 encryption option should the engineer choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that SSE-S3 provides auditing because it is AWS-managed, but only KMS-backed keys provide CloudTrail logs of key usage.
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
✓
Server-side encryption with AWS KMS managed keys (SSE-KMS).
SSE-KMS uses AWS KMS to manage encryption keys, supports automatic annual key rotation, and logs key usage in AWS CloudTrail. This provides both the required encryption and auditability. Other options either do not support AWS-managed rotation or lack auditing capabilities.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Server-side encryption with Amazon S3 managed keys (SSE-S3).
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 uses encryption keys managed by Amazon S3, and key rotation is handled automatically. However, it does not provide audit trails of key usage because the keys are not stored in AWS KMS. The requirement to audit key usage is not met, so SSE-S3 is not the best choice.
- ✗
Server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C).
Why it's wrong here
SSE-C requires the customer to provide and manage their own encryption keys. AWS does not manage or rotate these keys, and key usage is not audited by AWS. This does not meet the requirement for AWS-managed keys with automatic rotation and auditing.
- ✗
Client-side encryption with a custom key management solution.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption means the customer encrypts data before uploading to S3, and they manage the keys. AWS does not manage or rotate these keys, and auditing would depend on the custom solution. This does not satisfy the need for AWS-managed keys with automatic rotation and CloudTrail auditing.
- ✓
Server-side encryption with AWS KMS managed keys (SSE-KMS).
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS uses AWS KMS to manage encryption keys, which can be automatically rotated annually. AWS KMS integrates with AWS CloudTrail to log key usage, providing the required auditability. This option meets both the encryption and auditing requirements.
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 and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
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.