PAS-C01 EBS Encryption Practice Question
A company is running SAP HANA on AWS and uses multiple EBS volumes for data and log storage. The company wants to encrypt all data at rest. Which three steps are required to ensure encryption of all EBS volumes? (Choose THREE.)
⚠ Common exam trap
A common trap is thinking that you can directly enable encryption on an existing unencrypted EBS volume or that you can encrypt snapshots after creation. The correct process is to create an encrypted snapshot copy and restore from it.
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 a custom AWS Key Management Service (KMS) key for encryption.
Using a custom AWS KMS key allows granular control over encryption of EBS volumes. Option D is correct because enabling EBS encryption by default ensures all new volumes are encrypted automatically. Option E is correct because for existing unencrypted volumes, you must create an encrypted snapshot and restore from it to encrypt the volume. Option B is incorrect because you cannot enable encryption on a snapshot after creation; encryption must be set when creating the snapshot copy. Option C is incorrect because the EBS-optimized attribute relates to network performance, not encryption.
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 a custom AWS Key Management Service (KMS) key for encryption.
Why this is correct
Using a custom KMS key is not strictly required but is a valid step to control encryption keys, so it is correct.
- ✗
Enable encryption on the EBS snapshots after creation.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption of snapshots is inherited from the source volume; you cannot enable encryption on a snapshot after creation. This option is incorrect.
- ✗
Launch EC2 instances with the EBS-optimized attribute set.
Why it's wrong here
EBS-optimized is a performance setting for EC2 instances and does not affect encryption. This option is incorrect.
- ✓
Enable EBS encryption by default in the AWS account for the region.
Why this is correct
Enabling EBS encryption by default in the AWS account ensures all new volumes are encrypted by default. This option is correct.
- ✓
For existing unencrypted volumes, create an encrypted snapshot and restore from it.
Why this is correct
For existing unencrypted volumes, you must create an encrypted snapshot and restore a new volume from it to achieve encryption. This option is correct.
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 PAS-C01 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 PAS-C01 exam.