The correct answer is to use AWS KMS customer managed keys with automatic rotation enabled, because this directly satisfies the PCI DSS requirement for annual key rotation without manual intervention. AWS KMS automatically rotates customer managed keys every 365 days when the automatic rotation option is turned on, ensuring the encryption keys used for data at rest are refreshed within the mandated 12-month window. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of KMS key management versus CloudHSM—a common trap is assuming CloudHSM is simpler, but it requires manual rotation, while KMS automates it. The question also reinforces envelope encryption as a best practice and CloudTrail for audit logging. Memory tip: think “KMS auto-rotates, CloudHSM you rotate.”
SCS-C02 Data Protection Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of data protection. 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.
A company is migrating a legacy application to AWS. The application stores sensitive data and must comply with PCI DSS. The security team needs to ensure that data is encrypted at rest using keys that are rotated every 12 months. Which THREE steps should the team take?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail to log all KMS key usage
Options A, C, and D are correct. Using AWS KMS with automatic annual rotation (A) meets the requirement. Ensuring the application uses envelope encryption (C) is a best practice. Configuring CloudTrail (D) provides audit trail for key usage. Option B is incorrect because CloudHSM requires manual key rotation. Option E is incorrect because SSE-C3 is not a valid encryption type; SSE-C uses customer-provided keys, which do not rotate automatically.
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.
✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail to log all KMS key usage
Why this is correct
CloudTrail provides audit logs required for compliance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Ensure the application uses envelope encryption to encrypt data with a data key
Why this is correct
Envelope encryption is a best practice for performance and security.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use AWS CloudHSM to generate and store keys, and manually rotate them every 12 months
Why it's wrong here
Manual rotation is not automated and error-prone.
✓
Use AWS KMS customer managed keys with automatic rotation enabled
Why this is correct
KMS supports automatic annual rotation for customer managed keys.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use S3 bucket policy to enforce SSE-C3 encryption
Why it's wrong here
SSE-C3 is not a valid encryption type; SSE-C uses customer-provided keys without rotation.
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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SCS-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.
Data Protection — This question tests Data Protection — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable AWS CloudTrail to log all KMS key usage — Options A, C, and D are correct. Using AWS KMS with automatic annual rotation (A) meets the requirement. Ensuring the application uses envelope encryption (C) is a best practice. Configuring CloudTrail (D) provides audit trail for key usage. Option B is incorrect because CloudHSM requires manual key rotation. Option E is incorrect because SSE-C3 is not a valid encryption type; SSE-C uses customer-provided keys, which do not rotate automatically.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SCS-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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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.
Question Discussion
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