DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company has an Amazon Redshift cluster that contains sensitive data. The security team wants to ensure that all data is encrypted at rest and that the encryption keys are managed by AWS. Which configuration 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
✓
Enable encryption at rest using the default AWS-managed KMS key for Redshift.
Amazon Redshift supports encryption at rest using AWS KMS. When you enable encryption, you can choose to use the default AWS-managed key (aws/redshift) or a customer-managed key. The default key is managed by AWS, meeting the requirement that keys are managed by AWS. Option A is incorrect because CloudHSM is used for customer-managed keys, not AWS-managed keys. Option B is incorrect because SSE-S3 is for S3 objects, not Redshift clusters. Option D is incorrect because client-side encryption is not supported for Redshift at rest.
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 CloudHSM to generate and store encryption keys.
Why it's wrong here
CloudHSM is not integrated with Redshift encryption.
- ✗
Use server-side encryption with S3-managed keys (SSE-S3) for the Redshift cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Redshift does not use SSE-S3; it uses KMS.
- ✓
Enable encryption at rest using the default AWS-managed KMS key for Redshift.
Why this is correct
This encryption is managed by AWS and uses KMS.
- ✗
Use client-side encryption with the AWS Encryption SDK.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption is not managed by AWS Redshift.
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 DBS-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 DBS-C01 exam.