← DEA-C01·Amazon Web Services

Question 1,674 of 1,786

Data Store Management →hardMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is SSE-C, or server-side encryption with customer-provided keys, because it directly satisfies the requirement to manage and rotate encryption keys on your own HSM. With SSE-C, you provide your own encryption key with each PUT request, and S3 uses that key server-side to encrypt the object at rest, then discards the key—S3 never stores it, giving you full control over key lifecycle and rotation every 90 days from your HSM. On the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate DEA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between SSE-S3, SSE-KMS, and SSE-C, with the common trap being that SSE-KMS with imported key material also works but requires AWS KMS to store and rotate the key, not your HSM directly. Remember the memory tip: SSE-C means “Customer Controls the Key”—you hand it over each time, S3 uses it once, and you rotate it yourself.

DEA-C01 Data Store Management Practice Question

This DEA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data store management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 data engineer is designing a data lake on Amazon S3 for analytics. The data includes sensitive PII that must be encrypted at rest. The company requires that the encryption keys be managed by the company's own hardware security module (HSM) and rotated every 90 days. Which TWO options meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)

Question 1hardmulti select

Full question →

A
Use S3 server-side encryption with AWS KMS and an AWS managed key
Why wrong: AWS managed keys are not controlled by you and cannot be rotated on your schedule.
B
Use S3 server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C)
SSE-C allows you to supply your own encryption keys, which you can rotate by re-encrypting objects.
C
Use client-side encryption with keys stored in AWS Secrets Manager
Why wrong: Client-side encryption does not use S3 server-side encryption; keys are not managed by S3 and rotation is more complex.
D
Use S3 server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) and a customer-managed key with imported key material from your HSM
You can import key material from your HSM into KMS and set automatic rotation every 90 days.
E
Use S3 server-side encryption with S3 managed keys (SSE-S3)
Why wrong: SSE-S3 uses AWS-managed keys; you cannot control rotation.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Use S3 server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C)

Option B is correct because SSE-C allows you to provide your own encryption keys, which can be managed and rotated from your own HSM. The keys are used server-side by S3 to encrypt objects at rest, but S3 does not store the keys—you manage them entirely, meeting the requirement for key management on your own HSM with 90-day rotation.

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.

✗
Use S3 server-side encryption with AWS KMS and an AWS managed key
Why it's wrong here
AWS managed keys are not controlled by you and cannot be rotated on your schedule.
✓
Use S3 server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C)
Why this is correct
SSE-C allows you to supply your own encryption keys, which you can rotate by re-encrypting objects.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use client-side encryption with keys stored in AWS Secrets Manager
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption does not use S3 server-side encryption; keys are not managed by S3 and rotation is more complex.
✓
Use S3 server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) and a customer-managed key with imported key material from your HSM
Why this is correct
You can import key material from your HSM into KMS and set automatic rotation every 90 days.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use S3 server-side encryption with S3 managed keys (SSE-S3)
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 uses AWS-managed keys; you cannot control rotation.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often assume only SSE-KMS can meet key management requirements, but they overlook that SSE-C directly supports customer-supplied keys from an HSM without any AWS key storage, and that SSE-KMS with imported key material also satisfies the HSM and rotation needs when properly configured.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

SSE-C works by having the client provide an encryption key in the request header (e.g., x-amz-server-side-encryption-customer-key) for each PUT/GET operation; S3 uses AES-256 to encrypt/decrypt the object and discards the key after the operation. For SSE-KMS with imported key material (Option D), you can import a key from your HSM into a customer-managed KMS key, then configure automatic rotation every 90 days via KMS key rotation policies, satisfying both the HSM origin and rotation requirement.

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DEA-C01 question test?

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 S3 server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C) — Option B is correct because SSE-C allows you to provide your own encryption keys, which can be managed and rotated from your own HSM. The keys are used server-side by S3 to encrypt objects at rest, but S3 does not store the keys—you manage them entirely, meeting the requirement for key management on your own HSM with 90-day rotation.

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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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.