This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 developer is using the AWS CLI to upload a file to an S3 bucket with server-side encryption. The bucket is configured with default encryption (SSE-S3). The developer wants to ensure the object is encrypted with SSE-KMS instead. What should the developer do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use the --sse aws:kms parameter when uploading
Option B is correct because the developer must explicitly specify the server-side encryption method at the time of upload using the `--sse aws:kms` parameter in the AWS CLI. This overrides the bucket's default SSE-S3 encryption, ensuring the object is encrypted with SSE-KMS. Without this parameter, the object inherits the bucket's default encryption (SSE-S3), regardless of any other settings.
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.
✗
Use the --kms-key-id parameter with a KMS key ARN
Why it's wrong here
The --kms-key-id is used with the --sse aws:kms parameter. Without --sse, it is ignored.
✓
Use the --sse aws:kms parameter when uploading
Why this is correct
Explicitly requesting SSE-KMS overrides the bucket default.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
No action needed; the bucket default encryption will apply
Why it's wrong here
Default encryption applies only if no encryption is specified in the request.
✗
Change the bucket policy to require SSE-KMS
Why it's wrong here
Bucket policy can deny uploads without SSE-KMS, but the developer must still specify the encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume bucket default encryption always applies to all objects, but in reality, request-level encryption parameters take precedence over bucket defaults, and the developer must explicitly specify SSE-KMS to override SSE-S3.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When uploading an object to S3, the encryption method can be specified at the object level via the `x-amz-server-side-encryption` header (or `--sse` in the CLI). If the bucket has default encryption enabled, S3 applies that default only if no encryption header is provided in the request. By explicitly setting `--sse aws:kms`, the developer overrides the bucket default and triggers the use of AWS KMS for encryption, which also incurs KMS API costs and requires appropriate IAM permissions for the `kms:GenerateDataKey` and `kms:Decrypt` actions.
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: Use the --sse aws:kms parameter when uploading — Option B is correct because the developer must explicitly specify the server-side encryption method at the time of upload using the `--sse aws:kms` parameter in the AWS CLI. This overrides the bucket's default SSE-S3 encryption, ensuring the object is encrypted with SSE-KMS. Without this parameter, the object inherits the bucket's default encryption (SSE-S3), regardless of any other settings.
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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