SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company uses Amazon S3 to store critical data. They need to ensure that data is encrypted at rest. Which TWO methods can achieve this?
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
✓
Use AWS KMS (SSE-KMS)
Options D and E are correct. Both SSE-KMS (AWS KMS) and SSE-S3 (S3-Managed Keys) are server-side encryption options that encrypt data at rest in Amazon S3. Option A (SSL/TLS) encrypts data in transit, not at rest. Option B (bucket policy) controls access permissions but does not provide encryption. Option C (client-side encryption) would encrypt data before sending to S3, but it is not an AWS-managed service and requires client-side implementation; the question focuses on encryption at rest provided by AWS.
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 SSL/TLS for the S3 bucket
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. SSL/TLS encrypts data in transit, not at rest.
- ✗
Configure a bucket policy to enforce encryption
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A bucket policy controls access but does not encrypt data.
- ✗
Use client-side encryption
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Client-side encryption encrypts data before it reaches S3, but it is not an AWS-managed method for encrypting data at rest; AWS recommends using server-side encryption for simplicity and security.
- ✓
Use AWS KMS (SSE-KMS)
Why this is correct
Correct. SSE-KMS uses AWS KMS to manage encryption keys, providing encryption at rest.
- ✓
Use S3-Managed Keys (SSE-S3)
Why this is correct
Correct. SSE-S3 uses S3-managed keys to encrypt data at rest.
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.