DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company is using Amazon Redshift for data warehousing. They need to ensure that data is encrypted at rest using a customer-managed AWS KMS key. The cluster is currently unencrypted. What is the simplest way to enable encryption?
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
✓
Create a new Redshift cluster with encryption enabled and migrate the data.
You cannot enable encryption on an existing Amazon Redshift cluster. The simplest approach is to create a new cluster with encryption enabled using a customer-managed AWS KMS key, then migrate the data from the old cluster to the new one using tools such as UNLOAD/COPY or AWS DMS. Option C (snapshot and restore) is also valid, but it is not the simplest because it requires creating a snapshot and then restoring it to a new encrypted cluster, which involves extra steps. Therefore, option A is correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create a new Redshift cluster with encryption enabled and migrate the data.
Why this is correct
This is the simplest method; create a new encrypted cluster and copy the data.
- ✗
Enable encryption directly on the existing cluster using AWS CLI.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption cannot be enabled on an existing cluster; a new cluster must be created.
- ✗
Create a snapshot of the existing cluster and restore it to a new encrypted cluster.
Why it's wrong here
While creating a snapshot and restoring it to a new cluster *can* result in an encrypted cluster, this method does not directly enable encryption on the *existing* unencrypted cluster as requested. This approach is tempting because restoring from a snapshot is a common strategy for migrating data or creating a new, configured cluster, and it *would* be the correct solution if the requirement was to create a *new* encrypted cluster from an existing one, rather than modifying the current one.
- ✗
Modify the existing cluster and enable encryption using the Redshift console.
Why it's wrong here
Redshift does not support enabling encryption on an existing cluster.
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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.