SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
A company is designing a new application that will store sensitive user data in an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database. The data must be encrypted at rest and in transit. The company also requires automated backups with a retention period of 35 days. What is the MOST secure and cost-effective configuration?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume simply enabling SSL/TLS on the RDS instance (Option B) is sufficient for in-transit encryption, but they overlook the need to enforce it via the `rds.force_ssl` parameter to prevent unencrypted connections from being accepted.
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 encryption at rest for the RDS instance, and enforce SSL/TLS connections by setting the rds.force_ssl parameter to 1.
It uses AWS KMS to encrypt the RDS for PostgreSQL instance at rest and enforces encryption in transit by setting the `rds.force_ssl` parameter to 1, which requires all connections to use SSL/TLS. This satisfies both encryption requirements while leveraging RDS automated backups (retention up to 35 days) at no additional cost beyond standard backup storage, making it the most secure and cost-effective configuration.
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 RDS encryption at rest using AWS KMS, and use client-side encryption for data in transit.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption is unnecessary and adds complexity; RDS supports SSL/TLS for in-transit encryption.
- ✗
Use an AWS KMS key to encrypt the RDS instance, and configure the DB instance to use SSL/TLS for connections.
Why it's wrong here
KMS is used by RDS encryption, but the option mentions 'use an AWS KMS key' separately; RDS encryption is enabled at instance creation.
- ✗
Store the data in Amazon S3 with server-side encryption, and use an RDS database for metadata only.
Why it's wrong here
This does not address the requirement to store data in RDS; it suggests a different architecture.
- ✓
Enable encryption at rest for the RDS instance, and enforce SSL/TLS connections by setting the rds.force_ssl parameter to 1.
Why this is correct
RDS encryption at rest is enabled with a single checkbox; SSL/TLS is enforced via parameter group. Automated backups are enabled by default with 35-day retention.
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 |
Go deeper
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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.