Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company is migrating a legacy application from an on-premises server to AWS Lambda. The Lambda function needs to connect to an Amazon RDS for MySQL database that stores sensitive customer data. The security team requires that database credentials are never stored in the function's code, environment variables, or configuration files. The solution must follow AWS best practices for securing database access. Which approach should the company use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Store the database password in AWS Secrets Manager and retrieve it from within the Lambda function code.
While AWS Secrets Manager provides secure storage and rotation of secrets, the approach still requires the Lambda function to retrieve a secret (the password) at runtime. Although the secret is not hardcoded, it is still stored externally and retrieved, which does not fully eliminate the credential. More importantly, AWS best practices for this scenario recommend IAM database authentication over secret management because IAM authentication avoids the need for any password altogether.
B
Distractor review
Store the database password in AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store as a SecureString and retrieve it from within the Lambda function.
Similar to Secrets Manager, Parameter Store (SecureString) provides encrypted storage for the password, but the Lambda function still retrieves the password at runtime. This means a credential exists and is transmitted, albeit securely. The requirement explicitly states that credentials must never be stored in code or configuration, and while Parameter Store is a secure option, it does not go as far as eliminating the need for a stored credential. IAM database authentication is the more secure and recommended AWS best practice for this use case.
C
Best answer
Configure the Lambda function to use an IAM role with permissions to connect to the RDS database using IAM database authentication.
IAM database authentication allows the Lambda function to connect to the RDS database using an authentication token generated from the function's IAM role. No password or secret is stored anywhere in the function code, environment variables, or configuration files. This approach fully meets the security requirement and follows AWS best practices for securing database connections from AWS Lambda. It also provides the added benefit of centralized access control through IAM policies.
D
Distractor review
Encrypt the database password using AWS KMS and hardcode the encrypted password in the Lambda function code.
Hardcoding any password, even an encrypted one, in the function code violates the requirement that credentials never be stored in code. Additionally, encrypting a password with KMS does not eliminate the need to manage the encrypted value, and it introduces operational complexity. This approach is not a security best practice and does not meet the stated requirement.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A developer needs to launch a test server for a new application prototype. The developer logs into the AWS Management Console, selects an Amazon EC2 instance type, configures the security group, and starts the instance. The instance is running within two minutes, and the developer did not need to submit a formal request to the company's IT procurement team or wait for approval from a cloud administrator. Which essential characteristic of cloud computing does this scenario best demonstrate?
Question 2
A solutions architect is planning a new web application on AWS. The workload will include 3 Amazon EC2 instances (t3.medium) running 24/7, an Application Load Balancer, and an Amazon RDS for MySQL db.t3.small database. The architect needs to estimate the monthly cost for the first year, considering different purchasing options (On-Demand, 1-year All Upfront Reserved Instance, and Compute Savings Plan). Which AWS tool should the architect use to create this estimate?
Question 3
A company's development team frequently needs temporary test environments. A developer can log into the AWS Management Console, select an Amazon EC2 instance type, configure storage, and launch the instance within minutes without any interaction with the IT infrastructure team. This capability is an example of which essential characteristic of cloud computing?
Question 4
A company's finance team needs to analyze AWS spending in detail. They require a report that includes hourly cost data for each AWS service, each individual resource (e.g., a specific EC2 instance), and any cost allocation tags applied. The team plans to export this data to an Amazon S3 bucket and then import it into a custom business intelligence (BI) analytics dashboard. Which AWS tool should the finance team use to generate this level of detailed cost data?
Question 5
A company uses AWS for its development environment. The finance team wants to set a monthly budget of $10,000. They want to receive an email notification when the actual costs reach 80% of the budget ($8,000) and again when costs exceed the budget. The team needs a managed AWS service that can automatically send these alerts without requiring custom code or third-party tools. Which AWS service should the team use?
Question 6
A company uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team needs to enforce a policy that restricts SSH access (port 22) from the internet (0.0.0.0/0) in all VPCs across all accounts. The team wants to centrally define the allowed rules and automatically apply them to newly created VPCs and security groups, while also automatically remediating any existing non-compliant security groups. Which AWS service should the team use?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the Lambda function to use an IAM role with permissions to connect to the RDS database using IAM database authentication. — The recommended approach to securely access an Amazon RDS database from AWS Lambda without storing any credentials is to use IAM database authentication. With IAM database authentication, the Lambda function assumes an IAM role that has the necessary permissions to generate an authentication token for the RDS database. This eliminates the need for any stored password or secret, aligning with the requirement that credentials never be stored in code, environment variables, or configuration files. AWS best practices for Lambda and RDS strongly favor IAM authentication over secret management solutions when the goal is to avoid any persistent credential storage.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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