SCS-C02 Data Protection Practice Question
A company wants to encrypt data stored in Amazon S3 using server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C). Which statement is correct regarding SSE-C?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse SSE-C with SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS, assuming AWS manages the keys or that keys are stored in KMS, when in fact SSE-C requires the customer to supply the key with every request and AWS never retains 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
✓
The customer provides the encryption key in each request to S3.
SSE-C requires the customer to provide the encryption key and its MD5 digest in every PUT or GET request to Amazon S3. S3 uses the key to encrypt the object at rest and then discards the key; it is never stored by AWS. This ensures the customer retains full control over the encryption key material.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The customer provides the encryption key in each request to S3.
Why this is correct
Under SSE-C, the customer must provide the encryption key in the headers of every S3 request, such as x-amz-server-side-encryption-customer-key. S3 uses that key to encrypt the object at write time and to decrypt it at read time, then discards the key after the request completes. Because the key is never stored by AWS, it must be supplied again for each upload, download, or header retrieval.
- ✗
AWS manages the encryption keys.
Why it's wrong here
With SSE-C, AWS does not manage or store the customer-provided encryption key; the customer retains full control and responsibility for key storage and rotation. AWS only uses the key transiently during the operation, then deletes it. This contrasts with SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS, where AWS manages or stores keys, so the statement that AWS manages the keys is incorrect.
- ✗
The same encryption key is used for all objects in the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
SSE-C does not define a single bucket-wide encryption key; every object can be encrypted with a different key chosen by the customer. The key is passed per object in the request and is not bound to any bucket-level policy or configuration. You could upload two objects to the same bucket using two entirely different keys, so the claim that the same key is used for all objects is false.
- ✗
The encryption key is stored in AWS KMS.
Why it's wrong here
In SSE-C, the encryption key is not stored in AWS KMS; it is never sent to KMS at all. The customer supplies the key directly in the S3 request, and S3 performs encryption locally. SSE-KMS is a separate option where AWS KMS generates and stores a CMK, but with SSE-C the key is ephemeral and client-supplied, making the statement incorrect.
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 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.