- A
AWS Config with a managed rule and AWS Lambda for automatic remediation.
AWS Config can continuously evaluate resources against rules and trigger Lambda functions for remediation. The managed rule 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' can be configured with a parameter to require SSE-KMS. This fully automates detection and fixing.
- B
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon GuardDuty.
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, and GuardDuty provides threat detection. Neither can evaluate the encryption status of S3 buckets or automatically remediate non-compliance. They are not designed for configuration compliance.
- C
Amazon Inspector and AWS Systems Manager.
Why wrong: Inspector scans EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities, not S3 buckets. Systems Manager manages instances, not S3. They are irrelevant for S3 encryption compliance.
- D
Amazon Macie and AWS CloudFormation.
Why wrong: Macie discovers sensitive data, not encryption status. CloudFormation is used to provision resources, not to monitor or remediate existing non-compliant resources continuously.
SOA-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: aWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations.. 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 with AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) customer managed keys. A SysOps administrator discovers that some buckets are not encrypted. Which combination of AWS services should be used to automatically detect and remediate non-compliant buckets using infrastructure as code?
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 a managed rule and AWS Lambda for automatic remediation.
AWS Config with a managed rule (e.g., s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) can continuously evaluate S3 buckets for compliance with the encryption policy. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can automatically invoke an AWS Lambda function to remediate the issue, such as enabling encryption with a customer managed KMS key. This combination provides automated detection and remediation using infrastructure as code, as the Config rule and Lambda function can be defined in AWS CloudFormation or similar IaC tools.
Key principle: AWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations.
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 a managed rule and AWS Lambda for automatic remediation.
Why this is correct
AWS Config can continuously evaluate resources against rules and trigger Lambda functions for remediation. The managed rule 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' can be configured with a parameter to require SSE-KMS. This fully automates detection and fixing.
Related concept
AWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail and Amazon GuardDuty.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, and GuardDuty provides threat detection. Neither can evaluate the encryption status of S3 buckets or automatically remediate non-compliance. They are not designed for configuration compliance.
- ✗
Amazon Inspector and AWS Systems Manager.
Why it's wrong here
Inspector scans EC2 instances for software vulnerabilities, not S3 buckets. Systems Manager manages instances, not S3. They are irrelevant for S3 encryption compliance.
- ✗
Amazon Macie and AWS CloudFormation.
Why it's wrong here
Macie discovers sensitive data, not encryption status. CloudFormation is used to provision resources, not to monitor or remediate existing non-compliant resources continuously.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse detection services (like GuardDuty or Macie) with compliance evaluation services (AWS Config), or assume that CloudFormation alone can detect non-compliance without a continuous evaluation mechanism like AWS Config rules.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config managed rules are predefined, AWS-authored rules that evaluate resource configurations against best practices. The s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled rule checks for the presence of the x-amz-server-side-encryption header with value aws:kms or AES256. For automatic remediation, you create an AWS Config remediation action that invokes a Lambda function with the necessary IAM permissions to call PutBucketEncryption on the non-compliant bucket, specifying the KMS key ID. This setup can be fully codified in AWS CloudFormation using AWS::Config::ConfigRule and AWS::Lambda::Function resources.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- AWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations.
- AWS Config rules evaluate resource configurations against desired compliance states.
- Managed rules like 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' can check S3 encryption.
- AWS Config can trigger AWS Lambda functions for automated remediation of non-compliant resources.
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
AWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations.
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.
Review aWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations., then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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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 — AWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Config with a managed rule and AWS Lambda for automatic remediation. — AWS Config with a managed rule (e.g., s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) can continuously evaluate S3 buckets for compliance with the encryption policy. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can automatically invoke an AWS Lambda function to remediate the issue, such as enabling encryption with a customer managed KMS key. This combination provides automated detection and remediation using infrastructure as code, as the Config rule and Lambda function can be defined in AWS CloudFormation or similar IaC tools.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Review aWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations., then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
AWS Config continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations.
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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