CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
A company needs to store database passwords and API keys used by their applications, with automatic rotation and audit logging of access. Which AWS service is purpose-built for this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (which can store secrets but lacks automatic rotation) with AWS Secrets Manager, leading them to choose Parameter Store when the question explicitly requires automatic rotation and audit logging.
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 Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is purpose-built for securely storing, automatically rotating, and auditing access to database passwords, API keys, and other secrets. It natively supports automatic rotation with built-in integrations for Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB, and it logs every secret access call in AWS CloudTrail for audit compliance.
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 Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store can store secrets as SecureString parameters, but it does not natively rotate database credentials. Rotation requires custom AWS Lambda functions and manual integration with RDS, unlike AWS Secrets Manager which provides built-in, automated rotation for supported services. Parameter Store is therefore more appropriate for configuration values that change infrequently rather than secrets requiring regular credential cycling.
- ✗
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why it's wrong here
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) manages cryptographic keys and performs encryption and decryption operations; it does not store, retrieve, or manage application secrets such as database passwords or API keys. While KMS is often used to encrypt secret values, it is not a secret store and provides no direct API to fetch a plaintext credential on demand. For a use case that requires storing and rotating credentials, KMS alone cannot fulfill that function.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
AWS Secrets Manager is purpose-built for managing secrets throughout their lifecycle, with native automatic rotation for Amazon RDS credentials and other supported services. It provides fine-grained IAM-based access control per secret, ensuring only authorized applications and users can retrieve sensitive values. All API calls are logged in AWS CloudTrail, enabling robust auditability. These capabilities directly address the requirement to securely store, rotate, and manage database credentials.
- ✗
Amazon S3 with bucket policies
Why it's wrong here
Amazon S3 is an object storage service, not a secret management service, and storing secrets there introduces several drawbacks. S3 does not natively rotate secrets, and encryption-at-rest must be manually configured rather than being enforced by default. Bucket policies provide access at the bucket or object level, but they lack the per-secret fine-grained access controls and automatic versioning safeguards that AWS Secrets Manager offers. Additionally, applications would need custom logic to parse and retrieve secrets from objects, increasing complexity and operational risk.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CLF-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 CLF-C02 exam.