SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company uses Amazon S3 to store sensitive data. The security team requires that all S3 buckets be encrypted at rest using SSE-KMS. The company has thousands of existing buckets, some of which are not encrypted. Which approach will enforce encryption on all buckets with minimal effort?
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 an SCP to deny creation of buckets without SSE-KMS and use an AWS Config rule with remediation to enable SSE-KMS on existing buckets.
An SCP can deny creation of buckets without SSE-KMS, and AWS Config with automatic remediation can enable SSE-KMS on existing buckets. Option A is wrong because S3 default encryption only encrypts new objects, not existing ones. Option B is wrong because SSE-S3 does not meet the KMS requirement. Option D is wrong because a Lambda function is reactive and requires custom code, whereas the combination of SCP and Config provides a more scalable and policy-driven approach.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use S3 default encryption to automatically encrypt new objects.
Why it's wrong here
Default encryption applies to new objects, not existing ones.
- ✗
Use an AWS Config rule to check for encryption and automatically remediate by enabling SSE-S3.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 is not SSE-KMS.
- ✓
Use an SCP to deny creation of buckets without SSE-KMS and use an AWS Config rule with remediation to enable SSE-KMS on existing buckets.
Why this is correct
SCP prevents new non-compliant buckets, Config remediates existing ones.
- ✗
Create an AWS Lambda function that scans all buckets and enables encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda can remediate but does not prevent new non-compliant buckets.
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
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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 using Amazon S3 to store sensitive data. The security team wants to ensure that all objects are encrypted at rest. The company currently uses server-side encryption with S3 managed keys (SSE-S3). The team wants to enforce encryption using a customer-managed key (CMK) from AWS KMS. Which TWO actions should the team take?
medium- ✓ A.Configure a bucket policy that denies PutObject if the x-amz-server-side-encryption header is not set to 'aws:kms'.
- B.Enable AWS CloudTrail to audit all PutObject requests.
- ✓ C.Enable default encryption on the bucket with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) as the encryption type.
- D.Configure a bucket policy that allows PutObject only if the object is encrypted.
- E.Disable SSE-S3 on the bucket so that only SSE-KMS can be used.
Why A: (bucket policy denying PutObject without x-amz-server-side-encryption header set to 'aws:kms') enforces that all uploads must specify SSE-KMS at the request level. Option C (default encryption with SSE-KMS) ensures that objects uploaded without encryption headers are automatically encrypted with a KMS key. Together, they enforce encryption with customer-managed KMS keys. Option B (CloudTrail auditing) logs requests but does not enforce encryption. Option D (bucket policy allowing PutObject only if encrypted) allows any encryption type, not specifically KMS, so it does not enforce customer-managed keys. Option E (disabling SSE-S3) is not possible; you cannot disable SSE-S3, only set default encryption, and it would not enforce KMS alone.
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.