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 and that the encryption keys be rotated automatically every year. The company also needs to audit who accessed the key and when. Which THREE services should the solutions architect use to meet these requirements?
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
✓
S3 server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS).
Options A, B, and D are correct. AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) provides encryption with customer-managed keys that can be automatically rotated annually (option A and D). AWS CloudTrail logs KMS API calls such as Decrypt and GenerateDataKey, enabling auditing of key usage (option B). Option C is incorrect because IAM controls access to resources, not encryption keys directly; key access is managed via KMS key policies. Option E is incorrect because SSE-S3 uses S3-managed keys that do not allow customer-controlled rotation or auditing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
S3 server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS).
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS uses KMS keys for encryption, enabling rotation and auditing.
- ✓
AWS CloudTrail to log KMS Decrypt and GenerateDataKey events.
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs all KMS API calls for auditing.
- ✗
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to control access to the keys.
Why it's wrong here
IAM controls who can use KMS keys but does not manage key rotation or encryption.
- ✓
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) with automatic key rotation enabled.
Why this is correct
KMS supports automatic annual rotation for customer managed keys.
- ✗
S3 server-side encryption with S3-managed keys (SSE-S3).
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 does not allow customer key rotation or auditing.
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.