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.
Option A is correct because enabling S3 default encryption with SSE-KMS ensures all objects are encrypted at rest using AWS KMS-managed keys, satisfying the encryption-at-rest requirement for sensitive customer data. Option C is correct because bucket policies that restrict access based on IAM roles enforce least-privilege authorization, ensuring only authorized users can access the data. Option D is correct because a bucket policy denying requests that do not use HTTPS (aws:SecureTransport false) enforces encryption in transit by rejecting unencrypted HTTP access. Option B is not required because SSE-KMS already meets the encryption-at-rest requirement, and client-side encryption is an alternative rather than a necessary step. Option E is incorrect because making the bucket publicly accessible would expose sensitive data and violate the requirement that only authorized users can access it.
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
SSE-KMS encrypts objects at rest with customer-managed keys, satisfying the encryption-at-rest requirement while enabling key rotation, audit trails and granular access control through key policies — a stronger posture than SSE-S3 for sensitive customer data.
- ✗
Use client-side encryption with a customer key.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption alone does not enforce authorised access control; it protects data from the storage provider, not from other IAM principals. It is the right choice when the customer must retain sole custody of keys outside AWS.
- ✓
Use bucket policies to restrict access based on IAM roles.
Why this is correct
Bucket policies scoped to IAM role principals enforce least-privilege access, ensuring only authorised identities can read or write the sensitive objects. This satisfies the requirement that only authorised users access the data, complementing encryption and TLS enforcement.
- ✓
Configure the bucket policy to deny requests that do not use HTTPS.
Why this is correct
A bucket policy with an aws:SecureTransport condition denying non-HTTPS requests enforces encryption in transit, preventing credentials and objects from travelling unencrypted. This directly satisfies the in-transit encryption requirement for sensitive customer data stored in S3.
- ✗
Make the bucket publicly accessible for ease of access.
Why it's wrong here
Public access grants anonymous read to sensitive customer data, directly violating the requirement that only authorised users access it. Public buckets are appropriate only for genuinely public content such as static website assets or open datasets.
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
About these practice questions
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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.