DEA-C01 Data Security and Governance Practice Question
A data engineer needs to securely store database credentials used by a Lambda function. The solution must automatically rotate the credentials every 90 days. Which AWS service should the engineer use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse Parameter Store SecureString with Secrets Manager — both store secrets, but only Secrets Manager provides native scheduled rotation, which is the deciding requirement.
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 storing and managing secrets such as database credentials, API keys, and tokens. It natively supports automatic rotation via Lambda rotation functions on a schedule (e.g., every 90 days), and integrates with RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB for managed rotation. This directly satisfies both the secure storage and automatic 90-day rotation requirements.
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 CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
CloudHSM provides dedicated hardware security modules for key storage and cryptographic operations; it holds no database credential rotation engine. It is tempting when the requirement is FIPS 140-2 Level 3 key custody, but automatic 90-day credential rotation is delivered by AWS Secrets Manager, not CloudHSM.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store holds configuration values and SecureString parameters, but its built-in rotation relies on Lambda functions you write and schedule yourself; it does not natively rotate database credentials every 90 days. It is tempting as a low-cost secret store, yet AWS Secrets Manager provides managed rotation for supported databases.
- ✗
IAM Roles for Lambda
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles supply temporary credentials to Lambda, eliminating stored database passwords entirely, so no secret exists to rotate every 90 days. It is tempting because roles are the standard way to grant Lambda AWS permissions, but the stem requires rotating a database credential, which AWS Secrets Manager performs.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
AWS Secrets Manager natively stores and rotates credentials on a schedule, satisfying the 90-day rotation requirement without custom code. Lambda retrieves secrets via the SDK at runtime, so database passwords never persist in environment variables or code.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This DEA-C01 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 DEA-C01 exam.