ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
A security engineer is configuring AWS CloudTrail to log all management events across all regions. The logs must be stored in an S3 bucket that is encrypted with an AWS KMS key. Which bucket policy element is required to allow CloudTrail to write logs?
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
✓
kms:GenerateDataKey
CloudTrail requires kms:GenerateDataKey and kms:Decrypt permissions in the KMS key policy to deliver logs to an encrypted S3 bucket. kms:GenerateDataKey generates a data key for encrypting the log files, while kms:Decrypt validates the key. For this question, kms:GenerateDataKey is the required element for writing logs, as it enables the encryption process.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
kms:Encrypt
Why it's wrong here
kms:Encrypt is not required because CloudTrail uses the data key to encrypt, not direct encryption with the KMS key.
- ✓
kms:GenerateDataKey
Why this is correct
kms:GenerateDataKey is required for CloudTrail to encrypt the logs.
- ✗
kms:CreateKey
Why it's wrong here
kms:CreateKey is an administrative action unrelated to log delivery.
- ✗
kms:Decrypt
Why it's wrong here
kms:Decrypt is also required in the key policy but is not the primary permission for writing logs; it verifies the data key.
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 |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This ANS-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 ANS-C01 exam.