Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Config, because it continuously evaluates your S3 bucket configurations against the managed rule `s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled` to automatically detect unencrypted S3 buckets. This rule checks each bucket’s encryption setting and flags any that lack server-side encryption, allowing you to report and remediate non-compliance. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of governance and compliance services rather than security monitoring tools—a common trap is confusing AWS Config with CloudTrail (which logs API calls) or GuardDuty (which detects threats). Remember that Config is the “compliance camera” for resource configurations, while Inspector focuses on OS-level vulnerabilities. A quick memory tip: think “Config checks configs” for encryption rules, and you’ll avoid the trap of picking a detective service like GuardDuty.
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. 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 wants to enforce that all Amazon S3 buckets in an AWS account are encrypted at rest. Which AWS service can be used to automatically detect and report unencrypted buckets?
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls but does not evaluate encryption status.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: GuardDuty detects malicious activity, not compliance.
AWS Config
AWS Config can use managed rules to check S3 bucket encryption.
Amazon Inspector
Why wrong: Inspector assesses vulnerabilities in EC2 instances, not S3.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Config
AWS Config can evaluate resources against rules. The 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' managed rule checks for encryption. CloudTrail logs API calls, GuardDuty detects threats, and Inspector assesses vulnerabilities.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls but does not evaluate encryption status.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty detects malicious activity, not compliance.
AWS Config
Why this is correct
AWS Config can use managed rules to check S3 bucket encryption.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon Inspector
Why it's wrong here
Inspector assesses vulnerabilities in EC2 instances, not S3.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which ANS-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.
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FAQ
Network Security, Compliance and Governance — This question tests Network Security, Compliance and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Config — AWS Config can evaluate resources against rules. The 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' managed rule checks for encryption. CloudTrail logs API calls, GuardDuty detects threats, and Inspector assesses vulnerabilities.
Identify which ANS-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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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