Quick Answer
The correct choices are AWS KMS and AWS CloudTrail. AWS Key Management Service (KMS) provides the encryption keys necessary to enforce server-side encryption for data at rest in the S3 data lake, while AWS CloudTrail records all API calls—including every KMS Decrypt, Encrypt, or S3 GetObject request—creating an immutable audit trail for compliance and security analysis. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of the shared responsibility model for data protection: KMS handles the cryptographic control plane, and CloudTrail handles the logging plane. A common trap is selecting Amazon Macie or GuardDuty, but those are for data classification and threat detection, not encryption or API auditing. Remember the mnemonic: KMS for keys, CloudTrail for calls—encryption and auditing are two distinct layers.
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is designing a new data lake on Amazon S3. They need to ensure that data is encrypted at rest and that access is audited. Which services should they use? (Choose TWO.)
Amazon Macie
Why wrong: Discovers sensitive data, not encryption.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: Threat detection, not encryption or auditing.
AWS KMS
Manages encryption keys for S3.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Tracks configuration changes, not API auditing.
AWS CloudTrail
Logs S3 API calls for auditing.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS KMS
AWS KMS provides encryption keys, and AWS CloudTrail logs API calls for auditing. Option C (Amazon GuardDuty) is for threat detection, Option D (Amazon Macie) is for sensitive data discovery, and Option E (AWS Config) is for resource configuration tracking.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon Macie
Why it's wrong here
Discovers sensitive data, not encryption.
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
Threat detection, not encryption or auditing.
AWS KMS
Why this is correct
Manages encryption keys for S3.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Tracks configuration changes, not API auditing.
AWS CloudTrail
Why this is correct
Logs S3 API calls for auditing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Design for New Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS KMS — AWS KMS provides encryption keys, and AWS CloudTrail logs API calls for auditing. Option C (Amazon GuardDuty) is for threat detection, Option D (Amazon Macie) is for sensitive data discovery, and Option E (AWS Config) is for resource configuration tracking.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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