This CCSP practice question tests your understanding of cloud platform and infrastructure security. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
An organization wants to encrypt data at rest in a cloud object storage service. Which control is appropriate?
Implement a web application firewall.
Why wrong: WAF protects against web attacks, not data at rest.
Enable server-side encryption with a customer-managed key.
Server-side encryption encrypts data at rest.
Use a VPN for all access.
Why wrong: VPN encrypts network traffic, not stored data.
Enable TLS for all API requests.
Why wrong: TLS encrypts data in transit, not at rest.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Enable server-side encryption with a customer-managed key.
Server-side encryption with a customer-managed key (SSE-C) allows the cloud provider to encrypt data at rest in object storage using a key that the customer controls and manages. This ensures that the encryption process is handled by the service itself, but the customer retains control over key rotation, access, and revocation, which is appropriate for meeting compliance and security requirements for data at rest.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Implement a web application firewall.
Why it's wrong here
WAF protects against web attacks, not data at rest.
Enable server-side encryption with a customer-managed key.
Why this is correct
Server-side encryption encrypts data at rest.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Use a VPN for all access.
Why it's wrong here
VPN encrypts network traffic, not stored data.
Enable TLS for all API requests.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between encryption in transit (TLS, VPN) and encryption at rest (SSE), leading candidates to mistakenly select TLS or VPN when the question explicitly asks about data at rest.
Detailed technical explanation
Server-side encryption with customer-managed keys (SSE-C) works by the cloud service generating a unique data encryption key (DEK) for each object, which is then encrypted with the customer-provided key (KEK) before being stored alongside the object. The KEK is never stored by the provider; it is passed per request, meaning the provider cannot decrypt the data without the customer supplying the key each time. In a real-world scenario, if the customer loses or revokes the KEK, the data becomes permanently inaccessible, even to the cloud provider, which is a critical consideration for key management and disaster recovery.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security — This question tests Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Enable server-side encryption with a customer-managed key. — Server-side encryption with a customer-managed key (SSE-C) allows the cloud provider to encrypt data at rest in object storage using a key that the customer controls and manages. This ensures that the encryption process is handled by the service itself, but the customer retains control over key rotation, access, and revocation, which is appropriate for meeting compliance and security requirements for data at rest.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This CCSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CCSP exam.
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