- A
Enable automatic key rotation when creating the KMS key
Automatic rotation can be enabled at creation and will rotate yearly.
- B
Create a new key manually each year and update the S3 bucket policy
Why wrong: Manual, not automatic.
- C
Use AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) to rotate the KMS key
Why wrong: ACM is for certificates, not KMS keys.
- D
Use an AWS managed key, which rotates automatically every year
Why wrong: AWS managed keys rotate automatically but you cannot control the schedule.
Question 357 of 1,750
Automatic KMS Key Rotation
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 company is using AWS KMS to encrypt data at rest for S3 objects. The security team wants to rotate the KMS key annually. Which action should the team take to implement automatic key rotation?
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 when creating the KMS key
AWS KMS supports automatic annual key rotation for customer managed keys (CMKs) when enabled at creation or via the key's rotation configuration. Once enabled, KMS automatically rotates the key material every 365 days, creating a new backing key while retaining the old one for decryption of previously encrypted data. This satisfies the security team's requirement 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 when creating the KMS key
Why this is correct
Automatic rotation can be enabled at creation and will rotate yearly.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a new key manually each year and update the S3 bucket policy
Why it's wrong here
Manual, not automatic.
- ✗
Use AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) to rotate the KMS key
Why it's wrong here
ACM is for certificates, not KMS keys.
- ✗
Use an AWS managed key, which rotates automatically every year
Why it's wrong here
AWS managed keys rotate automatically but you cannot control the schedule.
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 cannot be configured by the customer) with customer managed keys (which require explicit enabling of automatic rotation), leading them to select Option D incorrectly.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When automatic rotation is enabled on a symmetric customer managed KMS key, KMS creates new cryptographic material for the key every 365 days, but the key ID, ARN, and metadata remain unchanged. The old backing key is retained indefinitely to allow decryption of data encrypted before the rotation. This is transparent to applications using the key, as KMS automatically uses the correct backing key based on the ciphertext's key identifier. Note that asymmetric KMS keys and imported key material do not support automatic rotation.
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.
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 |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — 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 when creating the KMS key — AWS KMS supports automatic annual key rotation for customer managed keys (CMKs) when enabled at creation or via the key's rotation configuration. Once enabled, KMS automatically rotates the key material every 365 days, creating a new backing key while retaining the old one for decryption of previously encrypted data. This satisfies the security team's requirement without manual intervention.
What should I do if I get this DOP-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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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