SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
An enterprise organization is planning a centralized logging architecture across hundreds of AWS accounts using AWS CloudTrail and Amazon S3. Security mandates state that all log files delivered to the centralized S3 bucket must be cryptographically verified to ensure they have not been modified or tampered with after delivery. Which TWO actions must a Solutions Architect implement to achieve this mandate? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
SAA-C03 often tests the confusion between immutability features (S3 Object Lock, Versioning) and cryptographic integrity verification, causing candidates to select options that prevent tampering but do not verify it.
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 CloudTrail log file integrity validation on each trail.
Option A is correct because CloudTrail log file integrity validation is the feature that produces a digest file for each delivered log file, containing a digital signature (SHA-256 hash signed with a private key) that allows detection of any modification, deletion, or tampering after delivery. Option E is correct because enabling validation alone only generates the digests; the architect must actually validate them by running AWS CLI commands such as 'aws cloudtrail validate-logs' (or SDK equivalents) against the S3 bucket to cryptographically confirm the log files match their digests. Option B is not correct because S3 Object Lock prevents deletion or overwrite of objects going forward but does not cryptographically prove that a delivered log file's contents are unmodified. Option C is not correct because KMS encryption with key rotation protects data confidentiality and key hygiene, not post-delivery tamper detection. Option D is not correct because S3 Versioning preserves prior object versions but does not itself verify the integrity or authenticity of log file contents.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable CloudTrail log file integrity validation on each trail.
Why this is correct
CloudTrail log file integrity validation creates digital signatures of log files using SHA-256 for hashing and SHA-256 with RSA for digital signing. This allows you to verify that log files were not modified, deleted, or forged after delivery.
- ✗
Configure S3 Object Lock in compliance mode on the centralized logging bucket.
Why it's wrong here
S3 Object Lock prevents objects from being deleted or overwritten for a fixed period or indefinitely, but it does not provide cryptographic hashing or digital signatures to verify if the file contents were altered during transit or storage.
- ✗
Use AWS KMS customer managed keys with automatic key rotation enabled for S3 bucket encryption.
Why it's wrong here
AWS KMS encryption protects data at rest in Amazon S3 against unauthorized physical access or disclosure, but it does not generate digest files or cryptographic signatures to prove log file integrity or detect post-delivery tampering.
- ✗
Enable Amazon S3 Versioning on the centralized logging bucket to preserve previous object iterations.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning preserves prior object iterations but provides no cryptographic integrity proof; it cannot detect tampering of a delivered log. It is tempting because versioning aids recovery from accidental overwrites or deletions, which is its actual purpose, but the mandate requires digest validation, not object history.
- ✓
Verify the digital digests generated by CloudTrail using the AWS CLI or SDK commands.
Why this is correct
Once log file integrity validation is enabled, CloudTrail delivers digest files containing hashes of the log files along with digital signatures. Security teams can use the AWS CLI to validate these digests against the delivered logs to prove integrity.
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 |
About these practice questions
This SAA-C03 question is part of Courseiva's 149-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.