SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company stores sensitive data in an S3 bucket. The security team requires that all data be encrypted at rest using server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS). An audit reveals that some objects were uploaded without encryption. What is the MOST efficient way to enforce encryption for all future uploads?
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
✓
Add a bucket policy that denies PutObject if the x-amz-server-side-encryption header is not set.
An S3 bucket policy that denies PutObject without the correct encryption header enforces encryption at upload time. Option A is wrong because default encryption applies only if no encryption header is provided; it can be overridden. Option B is wrong because it only encrypts existing objects, not future ones. Option D is wrong because CloudTrail does not enforce encryption.
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 on the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Default encryption can be overridden by requests that specify no encryption.
- ✗
Use S3 Batch Operations to encrypt existing objects.
Why it's wrong here
This addresses existing objects, not future uploads.
- ✓
Add a bucket policy that denies PutObject if the x-amz-server-side-encryption header is not set.
Why this is correct
This enforces encryption for all future uploads.
- ✗
Enable AWS CloudTrail to monitor uploads without encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Monitoring does not enforce encryption.
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.