DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company uses Amazon Redshift for data warehousing. The security team requires that all data be encrypted at rest with a customer-managed key, and that the key be rotated every year. Which configuration meets these requirements?
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
✓
Launch the Redshift cluster with encryption enabled using a customer-managed KMS key with automatic annual rotation.
Amazon Redshift supports encryption at rest using a KMS key. You can enable automatic key rotation on a customer-managed KMS key. Option A is wrong because launching without encryption and enabling later using CloudHSM is not supported; Redshift does not support enabling encryption after launch without reloading data, and CloudHSM requires manual key rotation. Option B is wrong because Redshift does not use S3-managed keys for encryption; you must use a KMS key or HSM. Option C is correct because it meets the requirements. Option D is wrong because using an HSM for key storage does not provide automatic key rotation; you would need to rotate the key manually.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Launch the Redshift cluster without encryption and enable encryption later using AWS CloudHSM.
Why it's wrong here
Redshift does not support enabling encryption on an existing cluster.
- ✗
Launch the Redshift cluster with encryption enabled using an S3-managed key.
Why it's wrong here
S3-managed keys are not customer-managed.
- ✓
Launch the Redshift cluster with encryption enabled using a customer-managed KMS key with automatic annual rotation.
Why this is correct
This meets both requirements.
- ✗
Launch the Redshift cluster with encryption enabled using a KMS key and configure the cluster to use an HSM for key storage.
Why it's wrong here
HSM is not required for KMS encryption.
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.