DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A data engineer needs to ensure that sensitive data stored in Amazon S3 is encrypted at rest. Which TWO options meet this requirement? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse encryption in transit (SSL/TLS) with encryption at rest, or they mistakenly think network controls like VPCs or access controls like MFA Delete provide data encryption, when they only address different security domains.
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)
Server-Side Encryption with AWS KMS-Managed Keys (SSE-KMS) allows you to enforce encryption at rest for S3 objects using a customer-managed or AWS-managed KMS key. This option meets the requirement because the encryption is applied server-side by S3 before the data is written to disk, and the data is decrypted automatically when accessed with appropriate permissions. SSE-KMS also provides an audit trail via AWS CloudTrail for every key usage.
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 AWS KMS-Managed Keys (SSE-KMS)
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS encrypts objects at rest using KMS keys.
- ✓
Server-Side Encryption with S3-Managed Keys (SSE-S3)
Why this is correct
SSE-S3 encrypts objects at rest using S3-managed keys.
- ✗
Using a VPC to restrict network access
Why it's wrong here
VPC restricts network access but does not encrypt data at rest.
- ✗
Enabling MFA Delete on the S3 bucket
Why it's wrong here
MFA Delete adds extra authentication for delete operations, not encryption.
- ✗
Client-Side Encryption with SSL/TLS
Why it's wrong here
SSL/TLS encrypts data in transit, not at rest.
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.