- A
AWS Config with a managed rule and an automatic remediation action using AWS Systems Manager Automation.
AWS Config rules can evaluate resources for compliance. Automatic remediation can invoke a Systems Manager Automation document to enable SSE-KMS on non-compliant buckets. This can be applied organization-wide using AWS Config aggregators and StackSets.
- B
AWS CloudTrail with a metric filter and Amazon CloudWatch alarm to trigger a Lambda function.
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls but does not evaluate the current state of resources. A metric filter could detect PutBucketEncryption events, but it would not catch buckets that were already non-compliant before the rule was set up. This approach is event-driven and not state-based, and it cannot cover existing buckets across all accounts easily.
- C
AWS Trusted Advisor to check S3 bucket encryption and send notifications.
Why wrong: Trusted Advisor can check for S3 bucket encryption as part of its security checks, but it does not provide automatic remediation. It also may not cover all accounts in an organization seamlessly.
- D
Amazon Macie to discover sensitive data and then manually encrypt buckets.
Why wrong: Macie is used to discover sensitive data in S3 buckets, not to enforce encryption policies. It would not automatically enable encryption.
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 uses AWS Organizations and has multiple accounts. The security team requires that all Amazon S3 buckets across all accounts must be encrypted at rest with AWS KMS (SSE-KMS). The SysOps administrator needs to automatically detect non-compliant buckets and remediate them by enabling SSE-KMS. The solution must work across all existing and future accounts. Which AWS service should be used?
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 an automatic remediation action using AWS Systems Manager Automation.
AWS Config with the managed rule 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' can evaluate all S3 buckets across accounts in an AWS Organization. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, an automatic remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document (e.g., 'AWS-EnableS3BucketEncryption') can enable SSE-KMS without manual intervention. This solution scales to existing and future accounts because AWS Config can be set up as an aggregator across the organization, and remediation actions apply automatically as new accounts are added.
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 a managed rule and an automatic remediation action using AWS Systems Manager Automation.
Why this is correct
AWS Config rules can evaluate resources for compliance. Automatic remediation can invoke a Systems Manager Automation document to enable SSE-KMS on non-compliant buckets. This can be applied organization-wide using AWS Config aggregators and StackSets.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
AWS CloudTrail with a metric filter and Amazon CloudWatch alarm to trigger a Lambda function.
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls but does not evaluate the current state of resources. A metric filter could detect PutBucketEncryption events, but it would not catch buckets that were already non-compliant before the rule was set up. This approach is event-driven and not state-based, and it cannot cover existing buckets across all accounts easily.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor to check S3 bucket encryption and send notifications.
Why it's wrong here
Trusted Advisor can check for S3 bucket encryption as part of its security checks, but it does not provide automatic remediation. It also may not cover all accounts in an organization seamlessly.
- ✗
Amazon Macie to discover sensitive data and then manually encrypt buckets.
Why it's wrong here
Macie is used to discover sensitive data in S3 buckets, not to enforce encryption policies. It would not automatically enable encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse detection-only services (like Trusted Advisor or CloudTrail) with services that can both detect and automatically remediate, or they mistakenly think Macie handles encryption compliance when it actually focuses on data classification.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config managed rules like 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' evaluate bucket-level encryption settings by comparing the bucket's policy or configuration against the rule's parameters (e.g., sseAlgorithm: 'aws:kms'). The remediation action uses an SSM Automation document that calls the PutBucketEncryption API with the specified KMS key ID; this automation can be triggered automatically for non-compliant resources. In a multi-account setup, AWS Config must be enabled in each account and an aggregator configured in the management account to view compliance across the organization, ensuring future accounts are covered when they join the organization.
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 a managed rule and an automatic remediation action using AWS Systems Manager Automation. — AWS Config with the managed rule 's3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled' can evaluate all S3 buckets across accounts in an AWS Organization. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, an automatic remediation action using an AWS Systems Manager Automation document (e.g., 'AWS-EnableS3BucketEncryption') can enable SSE-KMS without manual intervention. This solution scales to existing and future accounts because AWS Config can be set up as an aggregator across the organization, and remediation actions apply automatically as new accounts are added.
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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