DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A data engineer needs to store sensitive data in Amazon S3 and automatically classify the data using a managed service. The data is uploaded via an S3 bucket. Which AWS service can automatically detect and classify sensitive data?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse security services that operate at different layers — candidates often pick AWS WAF or Shield because they associate 'security' with network protection, but the question specifically asks for data classification in S3, which only Macie provides.
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
✓
Amazon Macie
Amazon Macie is a fully managed data security and data privacy service that uses machine learning and pattern matching to automatically discover, classify, and protect sensitive data stored in Amazon S3. It continuously evaluates S3 buckets and identifies sensitive content such as PII, credentials, and financial data, generating findings that can be routed to EventBridge or Security Hub. This directly matches the requirement to automatically detect and classify sensitive data in S3.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Amazon Macie
Why this is correct
Amazon Macie uses machine learning and pattern matching to automatically discover, classify, and alert on sensitive data such as personally identifiable information in S3. It is the managed service that fulfils the automatic classification requirement without custom code.
- ✗
AWS WAF
Why it's wrong here
AWS WAF filters HTTP requests reaching web applications; it inspects traffic, not stored S3 objects, so it cannot classify data already at rest. It tempts because WAF protects internet-facing resources, and would be correct for blocking SQL injection against a public web application.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Amazon Inspector scans EC2 instances, container images and Lambda functions for vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure, not S3 object contents. It tempts because it is a managed security assessment service, and would be correct for continuous vulnerability scanning of compute workloads.
- ✗
AWS Shield
Why it's wrong here
AWS Shield provides DDoS protection at the network and transport layers; it performs no content inspection, so S3 objects remain unclassified. It tempts because it is a managed security service, and would be correct when defending an internet-facing application against volumetric denial-of-service attacks.
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
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,321 original DEA-C01 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.