DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
A company wants to restrict access to an Amazon DynamoDB table so that only requests from a specific VPC endpoint are allowed. Which policy should be attached to the table?
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
✓
A VPC endpoint policy that allows only the specific VPC endpoint to access the DynamoDB table.
A VPC endpoint policy attached to the VPC endpoint can restrict which DynamoDB tables are accessible through that endpoint. Option A is incorrect because security groups apply to EC2 instances and other network interfaces, not to DynamoDB tables. Option B is incorrect because while IAM policies can include conditions to restrict access based on source VPC, they are attached to IAM users or roles, not directly to the DynamoDB table. Option D is incorrect because bucket policies are used for Amazon S3, not DynamoDB.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A security group rule that allows traffic only from the VPC endpoint.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups apply to EC2 instances and other network interfaces, not to DynamoDB tables.
- ✗
An IAM policy that denies access unless the request comes from the specific VPC.
Why it's wrong here
IAM policies can include conditions to restrict based on source VPC, but they are attached to users or roles, not to the DynamoDB table.
- ✓
A VPC endpoint policy that allows only the specific VPC endpoint to access the DynamoDB table.
Why this is correct
A VPC endpoint policy attached to the VPC endpoint can restrict which resources, such as DynamoDB tables, are accessible through that endpoint.
- ✗
An S3 bucket policy that references the DynamoDB table.
Why it's wrong here
Bucket policies are used for Amazon S3, not DynamoDB.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on DBS-C01
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A security engineer needs to restrict access to an Amazon DynamoDB table so that only users from a specific AWS account can read and write data. Which of the following can be used to achieve this? (Choose TWO.)
medium- ✓ A.Use a VPC endpoint policy for DynamoDB.
- B.Use a resource-based policy on the DynamoDB table.
- ✓ C.Use an IAM policy with a condition key such as 'aws:SourceAccount'.
- D.Use a security group to restrict access to the DynamoDB table.
- E.Use an S3 bucket policy to allow access to the DynamoDB table.
Why A: To restrict access to a DynamoDB table from a specific AWS account, you can use a VPC endpoint policy for DynamoDB (Option A) to control access through VPC endpoints, and an IAM policy with a condition key such as 'aws:SourceAccount' (Option C) to restrict API calls to those originating from the specified account. Option B is incorrect because DynamoDB does not support resource-based policies. Option D is incorrect because security groups are used for network-level access to EC2 instances, not DynamoDB. Option E is incorrect because S3 bucket policies apply only to S3 resources, not DynamoDB.
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.