DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company needs to encrypt data at rest for their Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL database. Which solution is the MOST secure and requires the least operational overhead?
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 AWS KMS when creating the Aurora cluster.
Enabling encryption at rest using AWS KMS during database creation is the simplest and most secure approach. Option A is correct. Option B is wrong because EBS encryption only protects the underlying storage, not the Aurora database engine layer, and it adds operational overhead. Option C is wrong because you cannot encrypt an existing unencrypted Aurora cluster directly; you must perform a manual snapshot and restore to a new encrypted cluster, which increases complexity. Option D is wrong because client-side encryption requires managing encryption keys in the application, increasing complexity and operational overhead.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable encryption at rest using AWS KMS when creating the Aurora cluster.
Why this is correct
Enabling encryption at rest using AWS KMS during database creation is the simplest and most secure approach. Aurora handles encryption transparently.
- ✗
Use Amazon EBS encryption on the underlying volumes.
Why it's wrong here
Amazon EBS encryption encrypts the underlying storage volumes but does not cover the database engine layer. Aurora manages storage independently, so this is not effective.
- ✗
Encrypt the database after creation by modifying the DB instance.
Why it's wrong here
Encrypting after creation by modifying the DB instance is not possible for Aurora; encryption must be set at cluster creation. To add encryption, you would need to create a new encrypted cluster from a snapshot, which requires manual effort.
- ✗
Use client-side encryption in the application.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption adds complexity and requires managing encryption keys in the application, increasing operational overhead.
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.