SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company uses Amazon S3 to store sensitive data. The security team requires that all objects be encrypted at rest. The company currently uses server-side encryption with S3-managed keys (SSE-S3). The security team wants to ensure that only authorized users can access the decryption keys. What should the company do?
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
✓
Change the default encryption to server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) and apply IAM policies to control key usage.
SSE-KMS allows the company to use AWS KMS for centralized key management and access control, ensuring that only authorized users can access the decryption keys. Option A is incorrect because an S3 bucket policy restricting put permissions does not control access to existing objects' encryption keys. Option B is incorrect because SSE-S3 keys are managed by AWS, not the customer, so the security team cannot enforce key access controls. Option C is incorrect because client-side encryption does not use S3 server-side encryption and would require managing keys outside of 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.
- ✗
Configure an S3 bucket policy to allow only specific IAM roles to put objects.
Why it's wrong here
This controls object access, not encryption key access.
- ✗
Continue using SSE-S3 and enable S3 Block Public Access.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-S3 does not provide customer control over keys.
- ✗
Use client-side encryption with an AWS KMS key.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side encryption encrypts before upload; decryption keys are managed client-side.
- ✓
Change the default encryption to server-side encryption with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) and apply IAM policies to control key usage.
Why this is correct
SSE-KMS allows key management and access control via IAM.
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.