- A
AWS Config with the s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled managed rule and automatic remediation using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document.
Correct. AWS Config evaluates compliance, and automatic remediation can apply a Systems Manager Automation document that enables SSE-KMS on the bucket.
- B
AWS CloudTrail to log bucket creation events and trigger an AWS Lambda function that applies SSE-KMS.
Why wrong: Incorrect. While possible, this approach is reactive and does not provide continuous compliance checking or remediation for existing buckets.
- C
Amazon Inspector to scan S3 buckets for encryption compliance and automatically apply SSE-KMS.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Amazon Inspector is for network and application security assessments, not for S3 encryption compliance.
- D
AWS Trusted Advisor to check S3 bucket encryption and send notifications but not auto-remediate.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Trusted Advisor provides checks and recommendations but does not support automatic remediation.
SOA-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. 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 manages multiple AWS accounts under AWS Organizations. The security team requires that all Amazon S3 buckets in the organization must be encrypted using AWS KMS (SSE-KMS). The SysOps administrator needs to automatically detect any bucket that is not compliant and remediate it by enabling SSE-KMS. Which AWS feature or service should be used to implement this automated compliance enforcement?
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
AWS Config with the s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled managed rule and automatic remediation using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document.
AWS Config's `s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled` managed rule can evaluate S3 buckets for encryption compliance. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can trigger automatic remediation via an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that applies SSE-KMS encryption to the bucket. This provides a fully automated, policy-driven enforcement mechanism without manual intervention.
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.
- ✓
AWS Config with the s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled managed rule and automatic remediation using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document.
Why this is correct
Correct. AWS Config evaluates compliance, and automatic remediation can apply a Systems Manager Automation document that enables SSE-KMS on the bucket.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail to log bucket creation events and trigger an AWS Lambda function that applies SSE-KMS.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While possible, this approach is reactive and does not provide continuous compliance checking or remediation for existing buckets.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector to scan S3 buckets for encryption compliance and automatically apply SSE-KMS.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Amazon Inspector is for network and application security assessments, not for S3 encryption compliance.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor to check S3 bucket encryption and send notifications but not auto-remediate.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Trusted Advisor provides checks and recommendations but does not support automatic remediation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse AWS Config's evaluation and remediation capabilities with CloudTrail's logging or Trusted Advisor's advisory-only checks, failing to recognize that only AWS Config provides native automated remediation through Systems Manager Automation documents.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config managed rules use AWS Lambda under the hood to evaluate resource configurations against desired policies. The Systems Manager Automation document for SSE-KMS remediation typically runs the `aws s3api put-bucket-encryption` CLI command or equivalent API call to apply the `aws:kms` encryption algorithm with a specified KMS key. This approach ensures continuous compliance by re-evaluating the rule after remediation, catching any drift.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Security and Compliance — This question tests Security and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Config with the s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled managed rule and automatic remediation using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document. — AWS Config's `s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled` managed rule can evaluate S3 buckets for encryption compliance. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can trigger automatic remediation via an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that applies SSE-KMS encryption to the bucket. This provides a fully automated, policy-driven enforcement mechanism without manual intervention.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SOA-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 SOA-C02 exam.
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