SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
A company is designing a data lake on Amazon S3. Data is ingested from multiple sources and stored as Parquet files partitioned by date. The company needs to ensure that only authorized users can access the data, and that the data is encrypted at rest. Which TWO actions should the company take to meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
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 default encryption with SSE-KMS on the S3 bucket.
Options A and E are correct. A: Enabling default encryption with SSE-KMS ensures data is encrypted at rest using AWS Key Management Service, providing control over encryption keys. E: A bucket policy that allows access only from specific IAM roles ensures only authorized users can access the data, following the principle of least privilege. Option B (client-side encryption) is not required as server-side encryption meets the requirement. Option C (server access logging) does not control access or encryption. Option D (bucket ACL) is less secure and not recommended for controlling access compared to IAM policies.
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 default encryption with SSE-KMS on the S3 bucket.
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS encrypts objects at rest with managed keys.
- ✗
Use client-side encryption before uploading to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption is not managed by S3 and adds complexity.
- ✗
Enable S3 server access logging.
Why it's wrong here
Logging does not control access; it audits access.
- ✗
Use a bucket ACL to grant access to the data lake.
Why it's wrong here
ACLs are legacy and not recommended; they do not provide granular access control.
- ✓
Configure an S3 bucket policy that allows access only from specific IAM roles.
Why this is correct
Bucket policy with IAM conditions restricts access to authorized roles.
Visual reference
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 SAP-C02 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 SAP-C02 exam.