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 data in Amazon S3. The security team requires that all objects are encrypted at rest using server-side encryption with AWS KMS managed keys (SSE-KMS). The developer needs to enforce that any PutObject request that does not specify the 'x-amz-server-side-encryption' header with value 'aws:kms' is denied. Which S3 bucket policy condition should be used?
Correct. This condition ensures that the request includes the required encryption header with value aws:kms.
B
s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id equals the KMS key ARN
Why wrong: This condition enforces the use of a specific KMS key, but does not require the encryption header itself. It can be used together with the encryption condition for a stricter policy.
C
s3:x-amz-acl equals 'bucket-owner-full-control'
Why wrong: This condition is for access control lists, not encryption.
D
s3:signatureversion equals 'AWS4-HMAC-SHA256'
Why wrong: This condition checks the signature version, not encryption headers.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption equals 'aws:kms'
Option A is correct because the condition key `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` in an S3 bucket policy can be used to require that the `x-amz-server-side-encryption` header is set to `aws:kms` on every PutObject request. This enforces server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) at the bucket policy level, denying any request that omits or uses a different encryption header value.
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.
✓
s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption equals 'aws:kms'
Why this is correct
Correct. This condition ensures that the request includes the required encryption header with value aws:kms.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id equals the KMS key ARN
Why it's wrong here
This condition enforces the use of a specific KMS key, but does not require the encryption header itself. It can be used together with the encryption condition for a stricter policy.
✗
s3:x-amz-acl equals 'bucket-owner-full-control'
Why it's wrong here
This condition is for access control lists, not encryption.
✗
s3:signatureversion equals 'AWS4-HMAC-SHA256'
Why it's wrong here
This condition checks the signature version, not encryption headers.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the condition key for the encryption header (`s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption`) with the condition key for the KMS key ID (`s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id`), mistakenly choosing Option B to enforce SSE-KMS instead of the correct header-based condition.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` condition key evaluates the value of the `x-amz-server-side-encryption` request header, which can be `AES256` (for SSE-S3) or `aws:kms` (for SSE-KMS). By setting the condition to `StringEquals` with value `aws:kms`, the bucket policy denies any PutObject that does not include this header with the exact value, effectively enforcing SSE-KMS. This is a common pattern for compliance requirements where all data must be encrypted with customer-managed KMS keys, and it works alongside bucket default encryption settings.
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: s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption equals 'aws:kms' — Option A is correct because the condition key `s3:x-amz-server-side-encryption` in an S3 bucket policy can be used to require that the `x-amz-server-side-encryption` header is set to `aws:kms` on every PutObject request. This enforces server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) at the bucket policy level, denying any request that omits or uses a different encryption header value.
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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