Quick Answer
The answer is enabling S3 Block Public Access and enabling encryption. Blocking public access at the account or bucket level acts as a critical safety net, preventing any unintended exposure of sensitive data even if a bucket policy or ACL is misconfigured, while server-side encryption (SSE-S3, SSE-KMS, or SSE-C) protects data at rest from unauthorized physical access or compromised underlying infrastructure. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this pairing tests your understanding of defense-in-depth for data confidentiality, often appearing in scenario-based questions where a company must secure a new data lake or comply with regulations like HIPAA. A common trap is confusing versioning or logging with direct security controls—versioning protects against accidental deletion, not unauthorized access, and logging is detective, not preventive. Remember the memory tip: “Block and lock, then encrypt the stock”—block public access first, then lock down the data with encryption to secure sensitive content from both external and internal threats.
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of continuous improvement for existing solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which TWO actions would improve the security of an S3 bucket that contains sensitive data? (Choose two.)
Enable S3 Server Access Logging.
Why wrong: Logging is for auditing, not direct security improvement.
Enable default encryption (SSE-S3).
Encrypts objects at rest.
Enable S3 Block Public Access.
Prevents public access to the bucket.
Enable S3 Versioning.
Why wrong: Versioning protects against accidental deletion, not security.
Configure S3 Lifecycle to expire objects.
Why wrong: Lifecycle policies manage storage, not security.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Enable default encryption (SSE-S3).
Options A and D are correct. A: Blocking public access prevents unintended exposure. D: Enabling encryption protects data at rest. B is incorrect because versioning is for data protection, not security. C is incorrect because logging is for auditing. E is incorrect because lifecycle policies manage storage, not security.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Enable S3 Server Access Logging.
Why it's wrong here
Logging is for auditing, not direct security improvement.
Enable default encryption (SSE-S3).
Why this is correct
Encrypts objects at rest.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Enable S3 Block Public Access.
Why this is correct
Prevents public access to the bucket.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Enable S3 Versioning.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning protects against accidental deletion, not security.
Configure S3 Lifecycle to expire objects.
Why it's wrong here
Lifecycle policies manage storage, not security.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — This question tests Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Enable default encryption (SSE-S3). — Options A and D are correct. A: Blocking public access prevents unintended exposure. D: Enabling encryption protects data at rest. B is incorrect because versioning is for data protection, not security. C is incorrect because logging is for auditing. E is incorrect because lifecycle policies manage storage, not security.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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