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Data Protection →mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

SCS-C02 Data Protection Practice Question

This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of data protection. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 designing a secure data sharing solution with a third party. The company needs to share sensitive files stored in an S3 bucket with the third party, ensuring that the files are encrypted at rest and in transit, and that the third party can only access specific files. The company also wants to rotate the access credentials every 30 days. Which TWO actions should the company take? (Select TWO.)

A
Create an IAM role in the company's account that the third party can assume, and attach a policy that grants access to the specific files.
Why wrong: This requires the third party to assume a role, which may not be feasible and does not enforce encryption key control.
B
Use S3 Cross-Region Replication to replicate the files to a bucket in the third party's account.
Why wrong: Replication does not provide access control or encryption key enforcement.
C
Configure an S3 bucket policy that denies access unless the request includes a specific KMS key ID.
Enforces that only objects encrypted with the specified key can be accessed.
D
Generate presigned URLs for the specific files and email them to the third party.
Why wrong: Presigned URLs do not provide encryption key control and are not easily rotated every 30 days.
E
Use a KMS key policy that grants the third party's AWS account permission to use the key for decrypt operations.
Allows the third party to decrypt objects encrypted with that key.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Configure an S3 bucket policy that denies access unless the request includes a specific KMS key ID.

Options C and E are correct. Option C uses an S3 bucket policy with a condition requiring requests to include a specific KMS key ID, ensuring that only requests using that key can access the objects. This enforces encryption at rest (objects encrypted with that key) and in transit (HTTPS with KMS). Option E grants the third party's AWS account permission to use that KMS key for decrypt operations, allowing them to decrypt the files. Together, they provide encryption key control and the ability to rotate the key or its policy every 30 days. Option A (cross-account IAM role) does not enforce encryption key control and requires the third party to assume a role, but credential rotation is managed via role trust policy, not directly. Option B (S3 Cross-Region Replication) replicates objects but does not enforce key-specific access or encryption at rest in the destination. Option D (presigned URLs) provides time-limited access but does not enforce encryption key control and cannot be easily rotated every 30 days without regenerating URLs.

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.

✗
Create an IAM role in the company's account that the third party can assume, and attach a policy that grants access to the specific files.
Why it's wrong here
This requires the third party to assume a role, which may not be feasible and does not enforce encryption key control.
✗
Use S3 Cross-Region Replication to replicate the files to a bucket in the third party's account.
Why it's wrong here
Replication does not provide access control or encryption key enforcement.
✓
Configure an S3 bucket policy that denies access unless the request includes a specific KMS key ID.
Why this is correct
Enforces that only objects encrypted with the specified key can be accessed.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Generate presigned URLs for the specific files and email them to the third party.
Why it's wrong here
Presigned URLs do not provide encryption key control and are not easily rotated every 30 days.
✓
Use a KMS key policy that grants the third party's AWS account permission to use the key for decrypt operations.
Why this is correct
Allows the third party to decrypt objects encrypted with that key.
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 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.

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

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SCS-C02 question test?

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: Configure an S3 bucket policy that denies access unless the request includes a specific KMS key ID. — Options C and E are correct. Option C uses an S3 bucket policy with a condition requiring requests to include a specific KMS key ID, ensuring that only requests using that key can access the objects. This enforces encryption at rest (objects encrypted with that key) and in transit (HTTPS with KMS). Option E grants the third party's AWS account permission to use that KMS key for decrypt operations, allowing them to decrypt the files. Together, they provide encryption key control and the ability to rotate the key or its policy every 30 days. Option A (cross-account IAM role) does not enforce encryption key control and requires the third party to assume a role, but credential rotation is managed via role trust policy, not directly. Option B (S3 Cross-Region Replication) replicates objects but does not enforce key-specific access or encryption at rest in the destination. Option D (presigned URLs) provides time-limited access but does not enforce encryption key control and cannot be easily rotated every 30 days without regenerating URLs.

What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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