- A
Use AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-versioning-enabled) and an automatic remediation action that uses an AWS Systems Manager Automation document to enable versioning
AWS Config evaluates resources against the rule. When a noncompliant bucket is detected (whether newly created or changed), the automatic remediation using Systems Manager Automation enables versioning on the bucket, ensuring continuous compliance.
- B
Use Amazon CloudWatch Events to detect CreateBucket API calls and trigger an AWS Lambda function to enable versioning
Why wrong: This reactive approach only addresses buckets created after the rule is set up. It does not handle existing buckets that lack versioning, nor does it detect buckets that have versioning disabled after creation. It requires separate handling for existing resources.
- C
Use AWS CloudTrail to monitor CreateBucket events and send an alert to the SysOps administrator for manual action
Why wrong: Manual intervention is not automated and may lead to delays or missed buckets. This does not meet the requirement for automatic remediation.
- D
Use AWS Service Catalog to enforce versioning on all buckets provisioned through it
Why wrong: Service Catalog only enforces compliance on resources provisioned through its products. Buckets created outside of Service Catalog (e.g., directly via the console or CLI) are not covered. This solution is incomplete.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use AWS Config with the managed rule `s3-bucket-versioning-enabled` and an automatic remediation action that invokes an AWS Systems Manager Automation document. This solution is correct because AWS Config continuously evaluates your S3 buckets against the desired state, and when it detects a noncompliant bucket—such as one created without versioning—the automatic remediation triggers an SSM Automation document to enable versioning immediately, ensuring compliance without manual intervention. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of combining AWS Config managed rules with Systems Manager Automation for self-healing infrastructure, a common pattern for security and compliance automation. A frequent trap is choosing a solution that only audits or alerts (like AWS Config rules alone or CloudWatch alarms) without the remediation step, or attempting to use AWS Lambda directly when SSM Automation is the native, recommended approach. Memory tip: think "Config catches, SSM fixes"—the rule detects the violation, and the Automation document applies the fix.
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 has an AWS account that contains multiple Amazon S3 buckets with sensitive data. A SysOps administrator needs to ensure that all S3 buckets in the account have versioning enabled to protect against accidental deletions. The administrator wants to automatically remediate any bucket that is created without versioning enabled. Which solution 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
Use AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-versioning-enabled) and an automatic remediation action that uses an AWS Systems Manager Automation document to enable versioning
AWS Config with the managed rule `s3-bucket-versioning-enabled` continuously evaluates S3 buckets against the desired configuration. When a noncompliant bucket is detected, an automatic remediation action can be configured to invoke an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that enables versioning on the bucket. This provides a fully automated, event-driven remediation without manual intervention, ensuring all buckets—including those created outside of AWS Config's initial evaluation—are brought into compliance.
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.
- ✓
Use AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-versioning-enabled) and an automatic remediation action that uses an AWS Systems Manager Automation document to enable versioning
Why this is correct
AWS Config evaluates resources against the rule. When a noncompliant bucket is detected (whether newly created or changed), the automatic remediation using Systems Manager Automation enables versioning on the bucket, ensuring continuous compliance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Amazon CloudWatch Events to detect CreateBucket API calls and trigger an AWS Lambda function to enable versioning
Why it's wrong here
This reactive approach only addresses buckets created after the rule is set up. It does not handle existing buckets that lack versioning, nor does it detect buckets that have versioning disabled after creation. It requires separate handling for existing resources.
- ✗
Use AWS CloudTrail to monitor CreateBucket events and send an alert to the SysOps administrator for manual action
Why it's wrong here
Manual intervention is not automated and may lead to delays or missed buckets. This does not meet the requirement for automatic remediation.
- ✗
Use AWS Service Catalog to enforce versioning on all buckets provisioned through it
Why it's wrong here
Service Catalog only enforces compliance on resources provisioned through its products. Buckets created outside of Service Catalog (e.g., directly via the console or CLI) are not covered. This solution is incomplete.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose CloudWatch Events + Lambda (Option B) thinking it provides real-time remediation, but they overlook that it only catches new buckets and fails to remediate existing noncompliant buckets or buckets that have versioning disabled after creation, whereas AWS Config provides continuous compliance monitoring and automatic remediation for both new and existing resources.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config remediation uses SSM Automation documents that can run custom scripts or AWS CLI commands—in this case, the `AWS-EnableS3BucketVersioning` document calls the `put_bucket_versioning` API to set the `VersioningConfiguration` status to `Enabled`. Under the hood, AWS Config evaluates resources against the rule every time a configuration change is recorded (e.g., bucket creation or modification), and remediation actions are triggered asynchronously via an AWS Config rule action that invokes SSM Automation. A subtle behavior is that if the bucket already has versioning suspended, the remediation will re-enable it, but if the bucket is in a different region, the SSM Automation document must be executed in that region or the remediation action must be configured with cross-region permissions.
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.
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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: Use AWS Config with a managed rule (s3-bucket-versioning-enabled) and an automatic remediation action that uses an AWS Systems Manager Automation document to enable versioning — AWS Config with the managed rule `s3-bucket-versioning-enabled` continuously evaluates S3 buckets against the desired configuration. When a noncompliant bucket is detected, an automatic remediation action can be configured to invoke an AWS Systems Manager Automation document that enables versioning on the bucket. This provides a fully automated, event-driven remediation without manual intervention, ensuring all buckets—including those created outside of AWS Config's initial evaluation—are brought into compliance.
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: 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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