DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A data engineer needs to enforce that all data in an Amazon S3 bucket is encrypted at rest. Which of the following can be used to achieve this? (Choose TWO.)
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 a bucket policy to deny PutObject if encryption headers are missing
Options C and D are correct. Configuring a bucket policy to deny PutObject requests that lack encryption headers (C) enforces encryption at upload time. Enabling default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 (D) automatically encrypts objects at rest, even if uploaded without encryption headers. Together, these ensure all data at rest is encrypted. Option A is incorrect because CloudTrail only logs API calls and does not enforce encryption. Option B is incorrect because VPC endpoints provide network isolation, not encryption. Option E is incorrect because KMS generating keys alone does not enforce encryption on S3; the bucket must be configured to use those keys.
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 CloudTrail to monitor for unencrypted objects
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail monitors but does not enforce.
- ✗
Use VPC endpoints to restrict access
Why it's wrong here
VPC endpoints do not enforce encryption.
- ✓
Configure a bucket policy to deny PutObject if encryption headers are missing
Why this is correct
This policy enforces encryption on uploads.
- ✓
Enable default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3
Why this is correct
Default encryption ensures all new objects are encrypted.
- ✗
Use AWS KMS to generate encryption keys for the bucket
Why it's wrong here
KMS alone does not enforce encryption.
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.