- A
IAM User with access keys
Why wrong: Creating IAM users with access keys for AWS services is a security anti-pattern — long-term credentials stored on instances are a vulnerability. Use IAM roles instead.
- B
IAM Group
Why wrong: IAM Groups organize IAM users for shared permissions — they can't be attached to AWS services like EC2 or Lambda.
- C
IAM Role
IAM Roles provide temporary credentials to AWS services without long-term access keys. EC2 instances assume the role via instance profile; Lambda has an execution role — the secure way to grant AWS service-to-service permissions.
- D
IAM Policy
Why wrong: IAM Policies define permissions but must be attached to a principal (user, group, or role) — a policy alone can't be used by a service without being attached to a role.
Quick Answer
The answer is an IAM Role. This is the correct choice because an IAM Role is specifically designed to be assumed by trusted entities like AWS services, granting them temporary security credentials through the AWS Security Token Service (STS) rather than long-lived access keys. When granting permissions to an AWS service such as EC2 or Lambda to access other AWS resources on behalf of an application, the role provides a secure, temporary authorization that aligns with best practices for least privilege. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding of identity management fundamentals—a common trap is confusing IAM Users (which are for people or applications with persistent credentials) with roles. Remember the memory tip: “Roles are for services, Users are for people.”
CLF-C02 Security and Compliance Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security and compliance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Which AWS IAM object should be used to grant permissions to an AWS service (like EC2 or Lambda) to access other AWS services on behalf of the application?
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
IAM Role
An IAM Role is the correct AWS identity to grant permissions to an AWS service (e.g., EC2, Lambda) because it provides temporary security credentials via AWS Security Token Service (STS). Unlike IAM Users, roles are designed to be assumed by trusted entities, including AWS services, enabling them to access other AWS resources on behalf of the application without long-lived access keys.
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.
- ✗
IAM User with access keys
Why it's wrong here
Creating IAM users with access keys for AWS services is a security anti-pattern — long-term credentials stored on instances are a vulnerability. Use IAM roles instead.
- ✗
IAM Group
Why it's wrong here
IAM Groups organize IAM users for shared permissions — they can't be attached to AWS services like EC2 or Lambda.
- ✓
IAM Role
Why this is correct
IAM Roles provide temporary credentials to AWS services without long-term access keys. EC2 instances assume the role via instance profile; Lambda has an execution role — the secure way to grant AWS service-to-service permissions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
IAM Policy
Why it's wrong here
IAM Policies define permissions but must be attached to a principal (user, group, or role) — a policy alone can't be used by a service without being attached to a role.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse IAM Policies with IAM Roles, thinking a policy alone can grant permissions to a service, but a policy is just a permission document and must be attached to an identity (like a Role) that the service can assume.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When an AWS service like EC2 assumes an IAM Role, it calls the STS AssumeRole API to receive a temporary security token (access key, secret key, and session token) valid for a configurable duration (default 1 hour, max 12 hours). This token is automatically rotated and eliminates the need to manage long-term credentials, aligning with the principle of least privilege. In practice, you attach a trust policy to the role specifying the service (e.g., ec2.amazonaws.com) as the trusted entity, and the service uses the role's permissions to interact with other services like S3 or DynamoDB.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Security and Compliance — study guide chapter
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CLF-C02 practice test guide
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-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: IAM Role — An IAM Role is the correct AWS identity to grant permissions to an AWS service (e.g., EC2, Lambda) because it provides temporary security credentials via AWS Security Token Service (STS). Unlike IAM Users, roles are designed to be assumed by trusted entities, including AWS services, enabling them to access other AWS resources on behalf of the application without long-lived access keys.
What should I do if I get this CLF-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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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