The answer is to use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles to grant permissions to EC2 instances, combined with security groups for traffic control and enabling encryption at rest for EBS volumes. These three actions form a defense-in-depth approach: IAM roles eliminate the need for long-term credentials on instances, security groups act as a virtual firewall to restrict inbound and outbound traffic, and EBS encryption protects data at rest from unauthorized access. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of the shared responsibility model and how to apply AWS-native security services specifically to an SAP workload. A common trap is selecting "Open all ports" for SAP communication, which is insecure, or disabling CloudTrail, which removes auditability—both are incorrect. For the exam, remember the mnemonic "SIE": Security groups, IAM roles, and Encryption for a secure SAP environment on AWS.
PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of operations and maintenance. 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 THREE actions should be taken to secure an SAP environment running on AWS?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable encryption at rest for Amazon EBS volumes.
Options A, B, and D are correct. A (Use security groups) controls traffic. B (Enable encryption at rest for EBS) protects data. D (Use IAM roles for EC2) avoids long-term credentials. C (Open all ports) is insecure. E (Disable CloudTrail) reduces auditability.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Open all ports to allow any traffic for flexibility.
Why it's wrong here
This is insecure and violates least privilege.
✗
Disable AWS CloudTrail to reduce costs.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail is important for auditing and security.
✓
Enable encryption at rest for Amazon EBS volumes.
Why this is correct
Encryption protects data stored on EBS.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use security groups to restrict inbound and outbound traffic to necessary ports.
Why this is correct
Security groups are fundamental for network security.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles to grant permissions to EC2 instances.
Why this is correct
IAM roles are best practice for managing credentials.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PAS-C01 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.
Operations and Maintenance — This question tests Operations and Maintenance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable encryption at rest for Amazon EBS volumes. — Options A, B, and D are correct. A (Use security groups) controls traffic. B (Enable encryption at rest for EBS) protects data. D (Use IAM roles for EC2) avoids long-term credentials. C (Open all ports) is insecure. E (Disable CloudTrail) reduces auditability.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which PAS-C01 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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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