SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
A company is designing a new application that will use Amazon S3 to store sensitive customer data. The data must be encrypted at rest and in transit. The company also needs to ensure that only authorized users can access the data. Which three steps should the company take? (Choose THREE.)
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse client-side encryption (which is not an S3-managed encryption option) with server-side encryption, or they may overlook that public access is never acceptable for sensitive data, even if other controls are in place.
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 S3 default encryption with SSE-KMS.
Enabling S3 default encryption with SSE-KMS ensures that all objects stored in the bucket are encrypted at rest using AWS Key Management Service (KMS) keys. This provides centralized key management, auditability via AWS CloudTrail, and the ability to enforce encryption policies without requiring client-side changes.
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 S3 default encryption with SSE-KMS.
Why this is correct
Encrypts data at rest with KMS-managed keys.
- ✗
Use client-side encryption with a customer key.
Why it's wrong here
Additional complexity; server-side encryption is sufficient.
- ✓
Use bucket policies to restrict access based on IAM roles.
Why this is correct
Ensures only authorized users can access.
- ✓
Configure the bucket policy to deny requests that do not use HTTPS.
Why this is correct
Enforces encryption in transit.
- ✗
Make the bucket publicly accessible for ease of access.
Why it's wrong here
Public access violates security requirements.
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
Related to this question
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SAP-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is designing a new application that will use Amazon S3 to store user-uploaded images. The application must enforce that all uploads are encrypted in transit and at rest. Additionally, the bucket must be configured to block all public access. Which TWO actions should be taken to meet these requirements?
medium- A.Use server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C).
- ✓ B.Enable default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS.
- C.Use Amazon CloudFront to serve the images and enforce HTTPS.
- D.Create a bucket policy that denies uploads without encryption in transit.
- ✓ E.Configure the S3 Block Public Access settings to block all public access.
Why B: Enabling default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS ensures that all objects stored in the bucket are encrypted at rest automatically, even if the upload request does not include encryption headers. Option E is correct because configuring the S3 Block Public Access settings to block all public access prevents any public access to the bucket and its objects, meeting the requirement to block all public access.
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.