DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company stores sensitive data in an Amazon S3 bucket that is accessed by an Amazon Redshift cluster. The security team requires that the data in transit between Redshift and S3 be encrypted. Which configuration ensures this?
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
✓
Ensure that the Redshift cluster has SSL enabled, which encrypts data in transit by default for COPY/UNLOAD operations to S3.
Redshift automatically uses SSL encryption for data in transit when moving data to and from S3 using COPY/UNLOAD commands. Option A is incorrect because server-side encryption (SSE-S3) encrypts data at rest, not in transit. Option C is incorrect because client-side encryption encrypts data before sending, but Redshift handles this automatically with SSL. Option D is incorrect because VPC endpoints do not encrypt data in transit; they provide private connectivity.
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 server-side encryption (SSE-S3) on the S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 encrypts data at rest, not in transit.
- ✓
Ensure that the Redshift cluster has SSL enabled, which encrypts data in transit by default for COPY/UNLOAD operations to S3.
Why this is correct
Redshift uses SSL for data transfer to S3 by default.
- ✗
Configure a VPC endpoint for S3.
Why it's wrong here
VPC endpoints provide private connectivity but do not encrypt data in transit.
- ✗
Use client-side encryption on the data before uploading to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption encrypts before upload, but Redshift manages this internally.
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.