MLS-C01 Data Engineering Practice Question
An organization stores sensitive customer data in S3. A data pipeline uses AWS Glue to transform the data and load it into Amazon Redshift. The security team requires that data be encrypted at rest in S3 and in transit between S3 and Glue, and between Glue and Redshift. Which configuration meets these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often assume VPC Peering alone provides encryption in transit, but it only provides network isolation without encryption, and they may overlook that SSL must be explicitly configured for the Glue-to-Redshift connection.
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 S3 default encryption with SSE-KMS, use a VPC endpoint for S3, and configure Glue to use SSL for Redshift connection.
It ensures encryption at rest in S3 via SSE-KMS, encrypts data in transit between S3 and Glue by using a VPC endpoint (which enforces HTTPS/TLS), and encrypts data in transit between Glue and Redshift by configuring SSL for the Redshift connection. SSE-KMS provides envelope encryption with a customer-managed key, while the VPC endpoint and SSL satisfy the in-transit encryption requirements.
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 S3 client-side encryption, and use VPC Peering between Glue and Redshift.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because S3 client-side encryption does not guarantee encryption at rest in S3 in the same way as server-side encryption, and VPC Peering alone does not encrypt data in transit.
- ✗
Use S3 default encryption with SSE-KMS, and use Network Load Balancer for Redshift.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because a Network Load Balancer does not provide encryption in transit between Glue and Redshift; only network-level load balancing.
- ✗
Enable S3 server-side encryption with SSE-S3, and use SSL for both Glue connections.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because SSE-S3 provides encryption at rest but with an AWS-managed key, which may not meet customer-managed key requirements; also, using SSL for Glue connections is not sufficient without explicitly configuring SSL for the Redshift connection.
- ✓
Enable S3 default encryption with SSE-KMS, use a VPC endpoint for S3, and configure Glue to use SSL for Redshift connection.
Why this is correct
Correct because SSE-KMS ensures encryption at rest in S3 with a customer-managed key, a VPC endpoint for S3 uses HTTPS/TLS for in-transit encryption between S3 and Glue, and configuring Glue to use SSL for Redshift encrypts data in transit between Glue and Redshift.
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 |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This MLS-C01 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 MLS-C01 exam.