- A
AWS Config
AWS Config can continuously monitor and evaluate S3 bucket configurations. With a managed rule for server-side encryption, it can detect non-compliant buckets. Combined with automatic remediation actions, AWS Config can enable encryption on non-compliant buckets without manual intervention.
- B
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: AWS CloudTrail records API activity but does not evaluate current configurations or trigger automated remediation. It is used for auditing and monitoring, not for compliance enforcement.
- C
Amazon GuardDuty
Why wrong: Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that monitors for malicious activity. It does not check S3 configuration compliance or remediate encryption settings.
- D
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: AWS Trusted Advisor provides recommendations on cost, performance, and security (including S3 bucket permissions), but it does not automatically remediate non-compliant resources. It relies on manual actions.
SOA-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 requires that all Amazon S3 buckets in its AWS account must be encrypted using AWS KMS (SSE-KMS). The SysOps administrator needs to detect any bucket that does not have KMS encryption enabled and automatically remediate it by enabling encryption. Which AWS 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
AWS Config is the correct service because it can continuously monitor S3 bucket configurations against a desired encryption state using managed rules like 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' or custom Lambda rules. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can trigger an automatic remediation action via Systems Manager Automation to enable SSE-KMS encryption, enforcing compliance 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
Why this is correct
AWS Config can continuously monitor and evaluate S3 bucket configurations. With a managed rule for server-side encryption, it can detect non-compliant buckets. Combined with automatic remediation actions, AWS Config can enable encryption on non-compliant buckets without manual intervention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
AWS CloudTrail records API activity but does not evaluate current configurations or trigger automated remediation. It is used for auditing and monitoring, not for compliance enforcement.
- ✗
Amazon GuardDuty
Why it's wrong here
Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that monitors for malicious activity. It does not check S3 configuration compliance or remediate encryption settings.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
AWS Trusted Advisor provides recommendations on cost, performance, and security (including S3 bucket permissions), but it does not automatically remediate non-compliant resources. It relies on manual actions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config's detective and remediation capabilities with CloudTrail's logging or Trusted Advisor's advisory-only checks, assuming any 'security' service can enforce compliance, but only AWS Config provides automated remediation via rules and Systems Manager.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS Config evaluates resources against rules defined in AWS Config managed rules or custom Lambda functions, and when a resource is marked non-compliant, it can invoke an AWS Systems Manager Automation document (e.g., 'AWS-EnableS3BucketEncryption') to apply SSE-KMS. This automation uses the PutBucketEncryption API to set the default encryption configuration, and the KMS key ID must be specified in the remediation action. A subtle behavior is that AWS Config remediation can be set to auto-remediate only on configuration changes or on a periodic schedule, and it requires appropriate IAM permissions for the automation role to modify the bucket.
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 — AWS Config is the correct service because it can continuously monitor S3 bucket configurations against a desired encryption state using managed rules like 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' or custom Lambda rules. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can trigger an automatic remediation action via Systems Manager Automation to enable SSE-KMS encryption, enforcing compliance 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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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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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