- A
Enable default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 or AWS KMS.
Default encryption ensures all objects are encrypted.
- B
Block all public access to the S3 bucket.
Why wrong: Blocking public access is good but does not ensure authorized access.
- C
Create a bucket policy that allows only specific IAM roles or users.
Bucket policy can restrict access to authorized principals.
- D
Enable S3 Versioning on the bucket.
Why wrong: Versioning protects against overwrites, not encryption or access.
- E
Enable S3 Transfer Acceleration.
Why wrong: Transfer Acceleration does not provide encryption.
Question 1,427 of 1,546
SOA-C02 Reliability and Business Continuity Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of reliability and business continuity. 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 uses Amazon S3 to store backup data. The SysOps administrator needs to ensure that the data is encrypted at rest and that access is limited to only authorized users. Which TWO actions should be taken? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
Enable default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 or AWS KMS.
Option A is correct because enabling default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 or AWS KMS ensures that all objects stored in the bucket are encrypted at rest automatically, meeting the encryption-at-rest requirement. This can be configured via the bucket properties, and it applies to any object uploaded without explicit encryption headers.
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.
- ✓
Enable default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 or AWS KMS.
Why this is correct
Default encryption ensures all objects are encrypted.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Block all public access to the S3 bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Blocking public access is good but does not ensure authorized access.
- ✓
Create a bucket policy that allows only specific IAM roles or users.
Why this is correct
Bucket policy can restrict access to authorized principals.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable S3 Versioning on the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning protects against overwrites, not encryption or access.
- ✗
Enable S3 Transfer Acceleration.
Why it's wrong here
Transfer Acceleration does not provide encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'blocking public access' (a network-level control) with 'encryption at rest' (a data protection control), or think that versioning or transfer acceleration somehow addresses encryption or authorization requirements.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Default encryption on an S3 bucket uses either SSE-S3 (AES-256 managed by AWS) or AWS KMS (with a customer master key) to automatically encrypt objects upon write. When combined with a bucket policy that restricts access to specific IAM roles or users (Option C), you achieve both encryption at rest and fine-grained access control, which is a common pattern for compliance frameworks like HIPAA or PCI DSS.
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.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Reliability and Business Continuity — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Reliability and Business Continuity — This question tests Reliability and Business Continuity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 or AWS KMS. — Option A is correct because enabling default encryption on the S3 bucket using SSE-S3 or AWS KMS ensures that all objects stored in the bucket are encrypted at rest automatically, meeting the encryption-at-rest requirement. This can be configured via the bucket properties, and it applies to any object uploaded without explicit encryption headers.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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