DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A data engineer is designing a data lake on Amazon S3 that must comply with a regulatory requirement to prevent any data from being overwritten or deleted for 7 years after creation. Which S3 feature should be used?
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
✓
S3 Object Lock with retention mode set to COMPLIANCE
S3 Object Lock with retention mode set to COMPLIANCE ensures that objects cannot be overwritten or deleted for the specified retention period (7 years). The retention period cannot be shortened or removed by any user, including the root user, making it suitable for regulatory compliance. Option A is incorrect because a bucket policy that denies s3:DeleteObject can be modified or removed, and it does not prevent overwrites. Option B is incorrect because MFA Delete requires an additional authentication factor but can still be disabled by an authorized user, and it does not enforce a retention period. Option D is incorrect because bucket versioning alone does not prevent deletion; it only creates delete markers, and objects can still be permanently deleted.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
S3 bucket policy that denies s3:DeleteObject
Why it's wrong here
A bucket policy denying s3:DeleteObject can be edited or removed by anyone with policy permissions, so it does not enforce immutability. S3 Object Lock in compliance mode is the correct control; the deny policy would suit restricting routine deletions where regulatory immutability is not mandated.
- ✗
S3 bucket versioning with MFA Delete
Why it's wrong here
S3 Versioning with MFA Delete still permits deletion once the MFA token is supplied, and versioning alone allows objects to be permanently removed, so it cannot enforce a fixed seven-year retention. It suits accidental-deletion recovery and privileged delete control, not regulatory immutability, which S3 Object Lock in compliance mode provides.
- ✓
S3 Object Lock with retention mode set to COMPLIANCE
Why this is correct
S3 Object Lock in COMPLIANCE mode enforces a write-once-read-many (WORM) model, preventing any user, including the root account, from overwriting or deleting objects for the defined retention period. Setting a 7-year retention directly satisfies the regulatory immutability requirement, unlike GOVERNANCE mode, which privileged users can bypass.
- ✗
S3 bucket versioning only
Why it's wrong here
S3 bucket versioning preserves prior versions but permits deletion of the current object and permanent removal of versions, so it cannot enforce the seven-year retention mandate. It is tempting because versioning protects against accidental overwrites and supports recovery; it would suit change-tracking or rollback scenarios, not regulatory immutability.
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.