- A
AWS Config
AWS Config can continuously monitor and evaluate S3 bucket encryption settings using managed rules and trigger auto-remediation actions to enable SSE-KMS on non-compliant buckets.
- B
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why wrong: AWS Trusted Advisor provides security checks and recommendations but does not offer automated remediation capabilities.
- C
AWS Service Catalog
Why wrong: AWS Service Catalog helps create and manage IT service catalogs; it does not enforce compliance on existing resources.
- D
AWS CloudFormation
Why wrong: AWS CloudFormation is used to provision resources via templates; it does not continuously monitor or auto-remediate non-compliant configurations after initial deployment.
Question 1,292 of 1,546
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. A key principle to apply: aWS Config continuously monitors 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 SysOps administrator needs to ensure that all Amazon S3 buckets in an AWS account are configured with server-side encryption using AWS KMS (SSE-KMS). The administrator wants to automatically detect any S3 buckets that are not compliant and remediate them by enabling SSE-KMS. 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 provides managed rules (e.g., s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) that can continuously evaluate S3 buckets for compliance with SSE-KMS. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can trigger an AWS Systems Manager Automation document or a custom remediation action (via AWS Config Rules remediation) to automatically enable SSE-KMS on the bucket, ensuring automated enforcement without manual intervention.
Key principle: AWS Config continuously monitors 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
Why this is correct
AWS Config can continuously monitor and evaluate S3 bucket encryption settings using managed rules and trigger auto-remediation actions to enable SSE-KMS on non-compliant buckets.
Related concept
AWS Config continuously monitors resource configurations.
- ✗
AWS Trusted Advisor
Why it's wrong here
AWS Trusted Advisor provides security checks and recommendations but does not offer automated remediation capabilities.
- ✗
AWS Service Catalog
Why it's wrong here
AWS Service Catalog helps create and manage IT service catalogs; it does not enforce compliance on existing resources.
- ✗
AWS CloudFormation
Why it's wrong here
AWS CloudFormation is used to provision resources via templates; it does not continuously monitor or auto-remediate non-compliant configurations after initial deployment.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS Config's reactive compliance monitoring with Trusted Advisor's advisory checks, or assume CloudFormation can handle post-deployment compliance, but only AWS Config provides the continuous evaluation and automated remediation required for this use case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS Config evaluates resources against rules using a configuration recorder that tracks resource changes and invokes AWS Lambda functions for custom remediation. For SSE-KMS enforcement, the managed rule checks the 'BucketEncryption' property of each S3 bucket; if SSE-KMS is not set, the rule marks the bucket as non-compliant and can trigger an SSM Automation document (e.g., AWS-EnableS3BucketEncryption) that applies the encryption configuration via the PutBucketEncryption API. A subtle behavior is that AWS Config remediation actions require an IAM role with permissions to modify the S3 bucket, and the automation document must be configured to specify the KMS key ID or use the default aws/s3 key.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- AWS Config continuously monitors resource configurations.
- AWS Config uses rules to evaluate compliance against desired configurations.
- AWS Config can trigger auto-remediation actions via Systems Manager Automation.
- AWS Config provides a managed rule for S3 bucket server-side encryption.
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 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.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review aWS Config continuously monitors 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 resource configurations..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Config — AWS Config is the correct service because it provides managed rules (e.g., s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled) that can continuously evaluate S3 buckets for compliance with SSE-KMS. When a non-compliant bucket is detected, AWS Config can trigger an AWS Systems Manager Automation document or a custom remediation action (via AWS Config Rules remediation) to automatically enable SSE-KMS on the bucket, ensuring automated enforcement without manual intervention.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Review aWS Config continuously monitors 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 resource configurations.
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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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