DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
A company wants to encrypt data at rest in Amazon S3 using server-side encryption. Which options are managed by AWS KMS? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — 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.
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
✓
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.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
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.
- ✓
Envelope encryption with KMS
Why this is correct
Envelope encryption is a feature of KMS.
- ✗
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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.