- A
AWS Config and AWS Lambda
AWS Config continuously evaluates S3 buckets against the managed rule for encryption. Non-compliant buckets can trigger a remediation action via an AWS Lambda function that applies SSE-S3 configuration. This minimizes custom code and uses managed services.
- B
Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Lambda
Why wrong: GuardDuty is a threat detection service that monitors for malicious activity. It does not evaluate S3 bucket encryption compliance.
- C
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon EventBridge
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API events, and EventBridge can trigger on those events. However, this would only react to bucket creation or modification events, not proactively detect existing buckets without encryption, and would require custom code to compare state.
- D
Amazon Macie and AWS Step Functions
Why wrong: Macie is used for discovering sensitive data in S3, not for checking encryption settings. Step Functions would add unnecessary orchestration complexity.
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's security policy requires that all Amazon S3 buckets must be encrypted at rest using server-side encryption with Amazon S3 managed keys (SSE-S3). A SysOps administrator needs to automatically detect any bucket that does not have encryption enabled and automatically apply SSE-S3 encryption. The solution should leverage AWS managed services and minimize custom code. Which combination of AWS services should be used?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 and AWS Lambda
AWS Config can evaluate S3 bucket configurations against a managed rule (s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) to detect non-compliant buckets. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can trigger an AWS Lambda function via an Amazon EventBridge rule or a custom remediation action to automatically enable SSE-S3 encryption on the bucket. This combination uses managed services and minimizes custom code, meeting the security policy requirement.
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 and AWS Lambda
Why this is correct
AWS Config continuously evaluates S3 buckets against the managed rule for encryption. Non-compliant buckets can trigger a remediation action via an AWS Lambda function that applies SSE-S3 configuration. This minimizes custom code and uses managed services.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Amazon GuardDuty and AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
GuardDuty is a threat detection service that monitors for malicious activity. It does not evaluate S3 bucket encryption compliance.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon EventBridge
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API events, and EventBridge can trigger on those events. However, this would only react to bucket creation or modification events, not proactively detect existing buckets without encryption, and would require custom code to compare state.
- ✗
Amazon Macie and AWS Step Functions
Why it's wrong here
Macie is used for discovering sensitive data in S3, not for checking encryption settings. Step Functions would add unnecessary orchestration complexity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse AWS Config's compliance evaluation with GuardDuty's threat detection or Macie's data classification, leading them to choose a service that cannot detect or remediate encryption settings.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config's managed rule 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' checks if the bucket's 'x-amz-server-side-encryption' header is set to 'AES256' (SSE-S3) on all objects or if the bucket has a default encryption policy. When a bucket is non-compliant, AWS Config can invoke a Lambda function via a custom remediation action or an EventBridge rule, which then uses the PutBucketEncryption API to apply SSE-S3. This approach ensures that even if objects are uploaded without encryption headers, the default encryption setting enforces SSE-S3 at rest.
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 and AWS Lambda — AWS Config can evaluate S3 bucket configurations against a managed rule (s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) to detect non-compliant buckets. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can trigger an AWS Lambda function via an Amazon EventBridge rule or a custom remediation action to automatically enable SSE-S3 encryption on the bucket. This combination uses managed services and minimizes custom code, meeting the security policy requirement.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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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