The answer is to add the kms:Decrypt permission to the SageMaker execution role for the KMS key. This is required because when a model artifact is stored in an S3 bucket encrypted with SSE-KMS, SageMaker must decrypt the object during deployment; without the kms:Decrypt action on the specific key, the service receives a decryption error and fails. On the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer Associate MLA-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how IAM policies interact with KMS key policies in a SageMaker deployment workflow—a common trap is assuming the S3 bucket policy alone grants access, but the execution role must explicitly hold the decrypt permission. Remember that SageMaker assumes the execution role, not the user’s role, so the permission chain must include the KMS key. Memory tip: think “Decrypt to Deploy”—without decrypt on the key, the model stays locked.
MLA-C01 Practice Question: ML Solution Monitoring, Maintenance and Security
This MLA-C01 practice question tests your understanding of ml solution monitoring, maintenance and security. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Exhibit
Error from SageMaker: ClientError: Cannot use encrypted model artifact.
The SageMaker execution role (arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/SageMakerRole)
must have kms:Decrypt permission on the KMS key (arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:123456789012:key/abcd1234-...)
Refer to the exhibit. A data scientist tries to deploy a model from an S3 bucket encrypted with SSE-KMS. What should the administrator do to resolve this?
Error from SageMaker: ClientError: Cannot use encrypted model artifact.
The SageMaker execution role (arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/SageMakerRole)
must have kms:Decrypt permission on the KMS key (arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:123456789012:key/abcd1234-...)
A
Change the model artifact encryption to SSE-S3.
Why wrong: Changing encryption would require re-uploading the artifact.
B
Add kms:Decrypt permission to the SageMaker execution role for the KMS key.
This directly addresses the missing permission.
C
Re-upload the model artifact without encryption.
Why wrong: That would disable encryption, which may not be acceptable.
D
Attach the AWS managed policy 'AmazonSageMakerFullAccess' to the role.
Why wrong: That policy may not include the necessary KMS permissions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add kms:Decrypt permission to the SageMaker execution role for the KMS key.
The error indicates the execution role lacks kms:Decrypt permission on the KMS key used to encrypt the model artifact. Adding this permission resolves the issue.
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.
✗
Change the model artifact encryption to SSE-S3.
Why it's wrong here
Changing encryption would require re-uploading the artifact.
✓
Add kms:Decrypt permission to the SageMaker execution role for the KMS key.
Why this is correct
This directly addresses the missing permission.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Re-upload the model artifact without encryption.
Why it's wrong here
That would disable encryption, which may not be acceptable.
✗
Attach the AWS managed policy 'AmazonSageMakerFullAccess' to the role.
Why it's wrong here
That policy may not include the necessary KMS permissions.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which MLA-C01 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.
ML Solution Monitoring, Maintenance and Security — This question tests ML Solution Monitoring, Maintenance and Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add kms:Decrypt permission to the SageMaker execution role for the KMS key. — The error indicates the execution role lacks kms:Decrypt permission on the KMS key used to encrypt the model artifact. Adding this permission resolves the issue.
What should I do if I get this MLA-C01 question wrong?
Identify which MLA-C01 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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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