- A
Create a customer-managed KMS key, enable key rotation, and set a deletion protection policy.
KMS supports customer-managed keys with rotation and deletion protection.
- B
Enable encryption on the RDS instance and use the default KMS key.
Why wrong: The default key is AWS-managed, not customer-managed, and does not have deletion protection.
- C
Use AWS CloudHSM to generate and store the encryption key, and associate it with the RDS instance.
Why wrong: RDS encryption with KMS does not support CloudHSM keys directly.
- D
Enable AWS CloudTrail to log key deletion attempts.
Why wrong: Logging does not prevent deletion.
Question 1,431 of 1,730
DBS-C01 Customer-managed KMS key Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of database security. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: customer-managed KMS key. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has an Amazon RDS for SQL Server DB instance that stores financial data. The security team requires that the data be encrypted at rest using a customer-managed key stored in AWS KMS. Additionally, they want to ensure that the key cannot be deleted without authorization. What should be done?
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 customer-managed KMS key, enable key rotation, and set a deletion protection policy.
Option A is correct. Creating a customer-managed KMS key allows you to control key rotation and deletion protection, meeting the security requirements. Option B is wrong because using the default KMS key does not provide a customer-managed key. Option C is wrong because AWS CloudHSM is not directly used for RDS encryption at rest; KMS is the required service. Option D is wrong because AWS CloudTrail only logs actions but does not prevent key deletion.
Key principle: Customer-managed KMS key
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 customer-managed KMS key, enable key rotation, and set a deletion protection policy.
Why this is correct
KMS supports customer-managed keys with rotation and deletion protection.
Related concept
Customer-managed KMS key
- ✗
Enable encryption on the RDS instance and use the default KMS key.
Why it's wrong here
The default key is AWS-managed, not customer-managed, and does not have deletion protection.
- ✗
Use AWS CloudHSM to generate and store the encryption key, and associate it with the RDS instance.
Why it's wrong here
RDS encryption with KMS does not support CloudHSM keys directly.
- ✗
Enable AWS CloudTrail to log key deletion attempts.
Why it's wrong here
Logging does not prevent deletion.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Candidates may confuse key rotation with deletion protection; both are required here. Deleting the KMS key would render encrypted data unrecoverable.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Customer-managed KMS key
- Deletion protection
- Key rotation
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Customer-managed KMS key
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review customer-managed KMS key, then practise related DBS-C01 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
- →
Database Security — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Database Security practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DBS-C01 questions
1,730 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DBS-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DBS-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Workload-Specific Database Design practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Workload-Specific Database Design.
Deployment and Migration practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Deployment and Migration.
Management and Operations practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Management and Operations.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Monitoring and Troubleshooting.
Database Security practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to Database Security.
DBS-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to DBS-C01 fundamentals.
DBS-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to DBS-C01 scenario.
DBS-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DBS-C01 questions linked to DBS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DBS-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
Database Security — This question tests Database Security — Customer-managed KMS key.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a customer-managed KMS key, enable key rotation, and set a deletion protection policy. — Option A is correct. Creating a customer-managed KMS key allows you to control key rotation and deletion protection, meeting the security requirements. Option B is wrong because using the default KMS key does not provide a customer-managed key. Option C is wrong because AWS CloudHSM is not directly used for RDS encryption at rest; KMS is the required service. Option D is wrong because AWS CloudTrail only logs actions but does not prevent key deletion.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Review customer-managed KMS key, then practise related DBS-C01 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Customer-managed KMS key
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More DBS-C01 practice questions
- A company is deploying a new application on Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. The security policy requires that all data be enc…
- Match each AWS service to its primary purpose.
- A financial services company runs a production Amazon Aurora MySQL database cluster (1 writer, 2 readers) in us-east-1.…
- A company is designing a database for a global e-commerce platform that requires low-latency reads and writes from multi…
- A security auditor reviews the output of a DynamoDB table description command as shown in the exhibit. Which statement a…
- A company is migrating an on-premises Oracle database to Amazon RDS for Oracle. The database contains sensitive data tha…
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.