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Question 1,281 of 1,616

Security →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is to enable automatic key rotation for the customer managed key in AWS KMS. This works because AWS KMS automatically rotates the backing key annually—approximately every 365 days—when automatic rotation is enabled, requiring zero manual intervention and satisfying the compliance mandate with minimal operational overhead. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding of KMS key lifecycle management and the distinction between customer managed and AWS managed keys; a common trap is assuming you must rotate the key manually or use a custom Lambda function. Remember that for customer managed keys, KMS handles the rotation of the cryptographic material automatically, while the key ID, ARN, and regional metadata remain unchanged. A helpful memory tip: “Auto-rotate once a year, no developer fear.”

DVA-C02 Security Practice Question

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 customer master keys (CMKs) to encrypt sensitive data in Amazon S3. A compliance requirement mandates that the backing keys for the CMKs be automatically rotated every year. The developer must implement this with minimal operational overhead. Which solution meets the requirement?

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A
Enable automatic key rotation for the CMK in AWS KMS.
When enabled, AWS KMS automatically rotates the backing key of a CMK once per year, satisfying the compliance requirement.
B
Create a new CMK every year and update the S3 bucket policy to use the new key.
Why wrong: This approach is manual, error-prone, and requires updating all references to the key, leading to high operational overhead.
C
Use an AWS managed key (aws/s3) which automatically rotates annually.
Why wrong: AWS managed keys rotate annually, but they are not customer managed keys and do not allow customization of key policies or auditing as required by the company.
D
Use SSE-S3 encryption with automatically rotated keys instead of KMS.
Why wrong: SSE-S3 provides server-side encryption with Amazon-managed keys that are rotated, but it does not allow the use of customer-managed keys or compliance tracking requirements.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Enable automatic key rotation for the CMK in AWS KMS.

Option A is correct because AWS KMS supports automatic key rotation for customer managed CMKs. When enabled, KMS automatically rotates the backing key annually (approximately every 365 days) with no additional operational overhead. This satisfies the compliance requirement for yearly rotation without manual intervention.

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.

✓
Enable automatic key rotation for the CMK in AWS KMS.
Why this is correct
When enabled, AWS KMS automatically rotates the backing key of a CMK once per year, satisfying the compliance requirement.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create a new CMK every year and update the S3 bucket policy to use the new key.
Why it's wrong here
This approach is manual, error-prone, and requires updating all references to the key, leading to high operational overhead.
✗
Use an AWS managed key (aws/s3) which automatically rotates annually.
Why it's wrong here
AWS managed keys rotate annually, but they are not customer managed keys and do not allow customization of key policies or auditing as required by the company.
✗
Use SSE-S3 encryption with automatically rotated keys instead of KMS.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 provides server-side encryption with Amazon-managed keys that are rotated, but it does not allow the use of customer-managed keys or compliance tracking requirements.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may confuse AWS managed keys (which rotate automatically but not on a customer-defined schedule) with customer managed CMKs, or assume that manual key rotation is required when automatic rotation is available.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

When automatic key rotation is enabled for a customer managed CMK, AWS KMS creates new backing key material each year while retaining the old backing key material for decryption of previously encrypted data. The CMK ID, key ARN, and key policy remain unchanged, so no application changes are needed. The rotation does not affect the CMK's key ID or alias, ensuring seamless access to encrypted objects.

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DVA-C02 question test?

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: Enable automatic key rotation for the CMK in AWS KMS. — Option A is correct because AWS KMS supports automatic key rotation for customer managed CMKs. When enabled, KMS automatically rotates the backing key annually (approximately every 365 days) with no additional operational overhead. This satisfies the compliance requirement for yearly rotation without manual intervention.

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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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.