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 stores sensitive customer data in Amazon S3. The security policy requires that all data be encrypted at rest using server-side encryption with a customer-managed AWS KMS key. Which S3 server-side encryption option should the developer use?
SSE-S3
Why wrong: SSE-S3 uses AWS-managed keys, not customer-managed.
SSE-KMS
SSE-KMS allows you to use a customer-managed KMS key for encryption.
SSE-C
Why wrong: SSE-C uses keys provided by the customer, but they are not managed by AWS KMS.
Client-side encryption
Why wrong: Client-side encryption is not server-side encryption and does not use S3 server-side features.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
SSE-KMS
SSE-KMS is the correct option because it provides server-side encryption with a customer-managed AWS KMS key, allowing the company to control key rotation, access policies, and audit usage via AWS CloudTrail. This meets the security policy requirement for encryption at rest using a customer-managed key, which SSE-S3 (using AWS-managed keys) and SSE-C (using customer-provided keys) do not fulfill.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
SSE-S3
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 uses AWS-managed keys, not customer-managed.
SSE-KMS
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS allows you to use a customer-managed KMS key for encryption.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
SSE-C
Why it's wrong here
SSE-C uses keys provided by the customer, but they are not managed by AWS KMS.
Client-side encryption
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption is not server-side encryption and does not use S3 server-side features.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SSE-KMS with SSE-S3, assuming both use AWS-managed keys, but SSE-KMS uniquely supports customer-managed keys and additional control features like key rotation and audit logging.
Detailed technical explanation
SSE-KMS integrates with AWS KMS to generate and manage data keys (DEKs) that encrypt the S3 object, with the DEK itself encrypted by a customer-managed KMS key (CMK). This allows fine-grained access control via KMS key policies and IAM, and enables audit trails through CloudTrail for every KMS API call, such as Decrypt or GenerateDataKey. A real-world scenario is compliance with regulations like PCI DSS or HIPAA, where key rotation and separation of duties are required.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
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FAQ
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: SSE-KMS — SSE-KMS is the correct option because it provides server-side encryption with a customer-managed AWS KMS key, allowing the company to control key rotation, access policies, and audit usage via AWS CloudTrail. This meets the security policy requirement for encryption at rest using a customer-managed key, which SSE-S3 (using AWS-managed keys) and SSE-C (using customer-provided keys) do not fulfill.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This DVA-C02 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 DVA-C02 exam.
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