Quick Answer
The answer is to enable automatic key rotation on the customer-managed KMS key. This is the correct action because AWS KMS handles annual rotation automatically for customer-managed keys, rotating the underlying cryptographic material each year while preserving the same key ID and ARN, so all existing encrypted data in S3 remains accessible without any application changes. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding of the distinction between automatic rotation (available only for customer-managed keys) and manual rotation (required for AWS managed keys or imported key material). A common trap is assuming you must create a new key or rotate the key alias, but the exam expects you to know that enabling automatic rotation satisfies a yearly rotation policy with zero operational overhead. Memory tip: think “auto-annual” for customer-managed keys—AWS handles the yearly turnover, you just flip the switch.
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 uses AWS KMS to encrypt data in S3. The security team wants to ensure that all KMS keys are rotated every year. Which action should be taken?
Manually rotate the KMS key every year
Why wrong: Automatic rotation is available and preferred.
Create a new KMS key and update all applications to use it
Why wrong: Manual process, not required.
Enable automatic key rotation
KMS supports automatic annual rotation for symmetric keys.
Use AWS CloudWatch Events to trigger a Lambda function that rotates the key
Why wrong: Unnecessary; automatic rotation is simpler.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Enable automatic key rotation
AWS KMS supports automatic key rotation for customer-managed KMS keys. When enabled, KMS rotates the key material annually without requiring any manual intervention or application changes. This satisfies the security team's requirement for yearly rotation while maintaining the same key ID and existing encrypted data accessibility.
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.
Manually rotate the KMS key every year
Why it's wrong here
Automatic rotation is available and preferred.
Create a new KMS key and update all applications to use it
Why it's wrong here
Manual process, not required.
Enable automatic key rotation
Why this is correct
KMS supports automatic annual rotation for symmetric keys.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Use AWS CloudWatch Events to trigger a Lambda function that rotates the key
Why it's wrong here
Unnecessary; automatic rotation is simpler.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may think manual rotation or creating a new key is required because they confuse KMS key rotation with S3 bucket key rotation or assume that automatic rotation changes the key ID, which would break references to the key.
Detailed technical explanation
When automatic key rotation is enabled, KMS creates new backing key material for the KMS key each year, but the key ID, key ARN, and key metadata remain unchanged. This means existing ciphertexts encrypted under the old backing key remain decryptable because KMS transparently uses the appropriate backing key based on the encryption context. The rotation does not affect the key's permissions, policies, or grants, making it a seamless operation for applications.
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: Enable automatic key rotation — AWS KMS supports automatic key rotation for customer-managed KMS keys. When enabled, KMS rotates the key material annually without requiring any manual intervention or application changes. This satisfies the security team's requirement for yearly rotation while maintaining the same key ID and existing encrypted data accessibility.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company uses AWS KMS with customer managed keys to encrypt S3 objects. The security team requires automatic key rotation. What must the developer do to enable rotation?
hardWhy C: For customer managed KMS keys, automatic rotation can be enabled in the key management console or via the AWS CLI. Option A is incorrect because automatic rotation is not automatic for customer managed keys; it must be enabled. Option C is incorrect because rotation does not require creating a new key. Option D is incorrect because AWS managed keys rotate automatically, but customer managed keys require enabling rotation.
Variation 2. A company uses AWS KMS to encrypt data at rest in S3. The security team requires that all encryption keys be rotated every 90 days. Which key type should the company use to meet this requirement with minimal operational overhead?
mediumWhy B: Customer managed KMS keys support automatic rotation, which can be enabled to rotate the key material every 365 days (or every 90 days if using a custom key store with imported key material). However, the requirement is for 90-day rotation with minimal operational overhead. Automatic rotation for customer managed KMS keys meets this by handling rotation without manual intervention, though note that the default automatic rotation period is 365 days; to achieve exactly 90 days, you would need to use a custom key store and import key material with a 90-day rotation schedule, or manually rotate more frequently. Given the options, B is the best choice because it provides automatic rotation with less overhead than manual rotation.
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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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