DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
Network Topology
A security engineer runs the AWS CLI command shown in the exhibit. The engineer wants to ensure that all RDS DB instances in the account are encrypted at rest. What should the engineer do to remediate the unencrypted read replica?
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
✓
Delete the unencrypted read replica and create a new read replica from the encrypted source, enabling encryption on the new replica.
To encrypt an unencrypted read replica that is sourced from an encrypted DB instance, you cannot directly enable encryption on an existing read replica or modify it. Instead, you must delete the unencrypted read replica and create a new read replica from the encrypted source, enabling encryption on the new replica. This is because encryption at rest can only be enabled during instance creation, and read replicas inherit encryption settings from the source at creation time. Option A is incorrect because the StorageEncrypted parameter cannot be modified on an existing instance. Option C is incorrect because enabling encryption on the source does not encrypt existing replicas; it only affects new replicas. Option D is incorrect because creating a snapshot of the unencrypted replica and restoring it as a new encrypted instance is not the standard procedure for encrypting a read replica; the correct approach is to recreate the read replica from the encrypted source with encryption enabled.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Modify the read replica by setting the StorageEncrypted parameter to true.
Why it's wrong here
You cannot modify an existing unencrypted read replica to enable encryption.
- ✓
Delete the unencrypted read replica and create a new read replica from the encrypted source, enabling encryption on the new replica.
Why this is correct
This ensures the new read replica is encrypted, and the source is already encrypted.
- ✗
Enable encryption on the source DB instance and the read replica will automatically become encrypted.
Why it's wrong here
You cannot enable encryption on an existing source instance; also, read replicas do not automatically inherit encryption if created unencrypted.
- ✗
Create a snapshot of the read replica, encrypt the snapshot, and restore it as a new instance.
Why it's wrong here
This would create a new instance, but the read replica would still exist; also, you cannot encrypt a snapshot of an unencrypted instance unless you copy it.
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.