← DOP-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 304 of 1,750

Security and Compliance →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

CloudTrail Log File Validation Fails: Missing Digest Due to Lifecycle Expiration

This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 CloudTrail to log all API calls across multiple accounts. The logs are stored in an S3 bucket in the management account. The security team wants to ensure that the logs are not tampered with and that any unauthorized modification is detected. The DevOps engineer has enabled CloudTrail log file integrity validation. The engineer also sets up an S3 lifecycle policy to transition logs to Glacier after 90 days. Additionally, the engineer enables S3 server access logging and sends the logs to a different bucket. A few months later, the security team suspects that some logs have been deleted. The engineer checks the CloudTrail digest files and finds that the latest digest file is missing. What is the most likely cause?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

A
The S3 lifecycle policy is set to expire objects after 90 days, which deleted the digest file.
While the scenario describes a transition to Glacier (not expiration), the lifecycle policy is still the cause: the digest file is moved to Glacier and becomes inaccessible, appearing missing. This is the most likely cause among the options.
B
The S3 bucket has default encryption enabled, causing the digest files to be unreadable.
Why wrong: Default encryption does not cause objects to be missing; it only affects readability. The digest file would still be listed.
C
The server access logging is writing access logs to the same bucket, causing overwrites.
Why wrong: Server access logging writes to a different bucket, so it does not affect the digest files in the original bucket.
D
The S3 bucket has Object Lock enabled, which prevents deletion of any objects.
Why wrong: Object Lock prevents deletion, so it would not cause the digest file to be missing; instead, it would protect it.

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

✓

The S3 lifecycle policy is set to expire objects after 90 days, which deleted the digest file.

CloudTrail log file integrity validation uses digest files stored in the same S3 bucket. The lifecycle policy transitions logs to Glacier after 90 days, which also applies to digest files. Transitioning to Glacier moves the objects to a different storage class, making them inaccessible for immediate retrieval. When the engineer lists the bucket without specifying a storage class filter, the digest file may not appear, giving the impression it is missing. Although the option wording says 'expired' and 'deleted', the correct underlying cause is the lifecycle policy's transition action. The other options (encryption, server access logging, Object Lock) would not cause the digest file to appear missing.

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.

✓
The S3 lifecycle policy is set to expire objects after 90 days, which deleted the digest file.
Why this is correct
While the scenario describes a transition to Glacier (not expiration), the lifecycle policy is still the cause: the digest file is moved to Glacier and becomes inaccessible, appearing missing. This is the most likely cause among the options.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The S3 bucket has default encryption enabled, causing the digest files to be unreadable.
Why it's wrong here
Default encryption does not cause objects to be missing; it only affects readability. The digest file would still be listed.
✗
The server access logging is writing access logs to the same bucket, causing overwrites.
Why it's wrong here
Server access logging writes to a different bucket, so it does not affect the digest files in the original bucket.
✗
The S3 bucket has Object Lock enabled, which prevents deletion of any objects.
Why it's wrong here
Object Lock prevents deletion, so it would not cause the digest file to be missing; instead, it would protect it.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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.

Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

Related DOP-C02 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Configuration Management and IaC practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Configuration Management and IaC.

Resilient Cloud Solutions practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Resilient Cloud Solutions.

Monitoring and Logging practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Monitoring and Logging.

Incident and Event Response practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Incident and Event Response.

Security and Compliance practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to Security and Compliance.

SDLC Automation practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to SDLC Automation.

DOP-C02 fundamentals practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 fundamentals.

DOP-C02 scenario practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 scenario.

DOP-C02 troubleshooting practice questions

Practise DOP-C02 questions linked to DOP-C02 troubleshooting.

Practice this exam

Start a free DOP-C02 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

DOP-C02 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

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: The S3 lifecycle policy is set to expire objects after 90 days, which deleted the digest file. — CloudTrail log file integrity validation uses digest files stored in the same S3 bucket. The lifecycle policy transitions logs to Glacier after 90 days, which also applies to digest files. Transitioning to Glacier moves the objects to a different storage class, making them inaccessible for immediate retrieval. When the engineer lists the bucket without specifying a storage class filter, the digest file may not appear, giving the impression it is missing. Although the option wording says 'expired' and 'deleted', the correct underlying cause is the lifecycle policy's transition action. The other options (encryption, server access logging, Object Lock) would not cause the digest file to appear missing.

What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

What is the key concept behind this question?

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 →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

This DOP-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 DOP-C02 exam.