This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. 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 S3 bucket that stores sensitive customer data. The security team requires that all data be encrypted at rest using server-side encryption with AWS KMS. Additionally, they want to enforce that objects are not uploaded without encryption. Which bucket policy should be used?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deny s3:PutObject unless the request includes x-amz-server-side-encryption with value aws:kms
Option B is correct because it uses a Deny effect with a condition that checks for the presence and value of the `x-amz-server-side-encryption` header. This policy explicitly denies any `s3:PutObject` request that does NOT include `x-amz-server-side-encryption` with the value `aws:kms`, thereby enforcing server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) on all uploads.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Deny s3:PutObject if the request includes x-amz-server-side-encryption
Why it's wrong here
This denies all encrypted uploads.
✓
Deny s3:PutObject unless the request includes x-amz-server-side-encryption with value aws:kms
Why this is correct
This enforces SSE-KMS for all uploads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Allow s3:PutObject only if the request uses a specific KMS key
Why it's wrong here
This does not enforce encryption; it only restricts which key can be used.
✗
Deny s3:PutObject unless the request includes x-amz-server-side-encryption with value AES256
Why it's wrong here
This enforces SSE-S3, not SSE-KMS.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the encryption header values (`aws:kms` vs `AES256`) or mistakenly think that an Allow statement alone can enforce encryption, when in fact a Deny statement with a condition is required to block non-compliant requests.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The bucket policy uses the `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` condition key to inspect the request header. The `StringNotEquals` condition operator is used with a Deny effect to block any upload that does not specify `aws:kms`. This is a common pattern for enforcing encryption at the bucket level, and it works because the condition is evaluated before the upload proceeds. In a real-world scenario, if the policy used `Allow` instead of `Deny`, unencrypted uploads from other principals (like an IAM user with full S3 access) could still succeed, so the Deny approach is essential for mandatory enforcement.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deny s3:PutObject unless the request includes x-amz-server-side-encryption with value aws:kms — Option B is correct because it uses a Deny effect with a condition that checks for the presence and value of the `x-amz-server-side-encryption` header. This policy explicitly denies any `s3:PutObject` request that does NOT include `x-amz-server-side-encryption` with the value `aws:kms`, thereby enforcing server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) on all uploads.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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