DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company runs an Amazon Aurora MySQL-compatible database cluster. The security team requires that all database credentials be rotated automatically every 30 days. Which combination of AWS services can meet this requirement with minimal operational overhead?
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
✓
Store the password in AWS Secrets Manager and enable automatic rotation with a 30-day interval.
AWS Secrets Manager provides built-in automatic rotation for RDS database credentials. Option A is incorrect because IAM database authentication does not involve password rotation. Option C is incorrect because CloudHSM does not manage password rotation. Option D is incorrect because Systems Manager Parameter Store lacks built-in rotation capabilities for RDS credentials.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use IAM database authentication and rotate the IAM user keys every 30 days.
Why it's wrong here
IAM authentication uses temporary credentials, but doesn't rotate RDS master password.
- ✓
Store the password in AWS Secrets Manager and enable automatic rotation with a 30-day interval.
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager can automatically rotate RDS credentials.
- ✗
Use AWS CloudHSM to generate a new password and a Lambda function to update the database.
Why it's wrong here
CloudHSM is for hardware key storage, not password rotation.
- ✗
Store the password in AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store and use a scheduled Lambda function to update the password.
Why it's wrong here
This requires custom code; Secrets Manager handles rotation natively.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DBS-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 DBS-C01 exam.