Question 1,124 of 1,570
SCS-C02 Data Protection Practice Question
A company is designing a data protection strategy for its Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database. The database contains sensitive customer data. Compliance requirements mandate that all backups be encrypted at rest and that the encryption keys be rotated annually. Which solution meets these requirements?
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
✓
Enable encryption at rest on the RDS instance using a customer managed KMS key. Enable automatic key rotation in KMS.
Enabling encryption at rest on the RDS instance using a customer managed KMS key and enabling automatic key rotation in KMS provides annual key rotation, satisfying the compliance requirement. Option A is incorrect because an encrypted read replica inherits the source instance's encryption key and does not provide independent backup encryption or key rotation. Option B is incorrect because S3 server-side encryption is not relevant to RDS automated backups; RDS encrypts backups using the KMS key associated with the DB instance, and S3 lifecycle policies rotate objects, not encryption keys. Option C is incorrect because although an AWS managed KMS key encrypts the RDS instance and backups, its automatic key rotation occurs every three years, not annually as required.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create an encrypted read replica of the RDS instance and use the replica for backups.
Why it's wrong here
Read replica encryption does not affect the source instance or its backups.
- ✗
Use S3 server-side encryption with a customer managed key for automated backups. Configure lifecycle policies to rotate the key.
Why it's wrong here
RDS backups are stored in S3, but you cannot directly apply S3 encryption keys to RDS backups.
- ✗
Enable encryption at rest on the RDS instance using an AWS managed KMS key. The key will be rotated automatically every year.
Why it's wrong here
AWS managed keys rotate automatically, but the rotation schedule is not customizable and may not align with compliance.
- ✓
Enable encryption at rest on the RDS instance using a customer managed KMS key. Enable automatic key rotation in KMS.
Why this is correct
Customer managed KMS key allows you to enable automatic annual rotation.
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 |
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This SCS-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 SCS-C02 exam.
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