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 wants to encrypt data at rest in Amazon S3 using server-side encryption. Which options are managed by AWS KMS? (Choose TWO.)
SSE-S3
Why wrong: SSE-S3 uses S3-managed keys, not KMS.
SSE-KMS
SSE-KMS uses AWS KMS for key management.
Envelope encryption with KMS
Envelope encryption is a feature of KMS.
SSE-C
Why wrong: SSE-C uses customer-provided keys, not KMS.
Client-side encryption
Why wrong: Client-side encryption is performed by the client, not server-side.
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 (option B) is a server-side encryption option where AWS KMS manages the customer master key (CMK) used to encrypt S3 objects. Envelope encryption with KMS (option C) is the underlying mechanism used by SSE-KMS, where a data key is generated by KMS to encrypt the object, and that data key is then encrypted by the CMK. Both options involve AWS KMS managing the encryption keys, making them the correct choices for the question.
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 S3-managed keys, not KMS.
SSE-KMS
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS uses AWS KMS for key management.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Envelope encryption with KMS
Why this is correct
Envelope encryption is a feature of KMS.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
SSE-C
Why it's wrong here
SSE-C uses customer-provided keys, not KMS.
Client-side encryption
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption is performed by the client, not server-side.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SSE-S3 (which is server-side encryption but not KMS-managed) with SSE-KMS, or they think envelope encryption is a separate client-side concept rather than the core mechanism of SSE-KMS.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, SSE-KMS uses envelope encryption: when you upload an object, S3 requests a plaintext data key and an encrypted copy of that key from KMS. The plaintext key encrypts the object, then is discarded, while the encrypted key is stored as object metadata. This allows KMS to control access to the CMK and provides audit trails via CloudTrail, which is critical for compliance scenarios where key rotation and access logging 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.
What to study next
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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 (option B) is a server-side encryption option where AWS KMS manages the customer master key (CMK) used to encrypt S3 objects. Envelope encryption with KMS (option C) is the underlying mechanism used by SSE-KMS, where a data key is generated by KMS to encrypt the object, and that data key is then encrypted by the CMK. Both options involve AWS KMS managing the encryption keys, making them the correct choices for the question.
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 24, 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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