DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. CloudWatch Logs snippet: ``` 2023-01-15T10:30:00.000Z [ERROR] [Client] User: myuser@mycompany.com failed to authenticate to database mydb 2023-01-15T10:30:05.000Z [ERROR] [Client] User: myuser@mycompany.com failed to authenticate to database mydb 2023-01-15T10:30:10.000Z [ERROR] [Client] User: myuser@mycompany.com failed to authenticate to database mydb ```
A DBA sees the above error log entries for an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse 'authentication failed' with 'user does not exist', but PostgreSQL deliberately returns different error messages for nonexistent roles versus incorrect passwords to avoid information leakage.
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
✓
The user 'myuser@mycompany.com' is using an incorrect password.
The error log entry shows authentication failure for user 'myuser@mycompany.com' with message 'password authentication failed for user'. In PostgreSQL, this specific error indicates the client provided an incorrect password for an existing user. The log does not show any connection limit exceeded or network timeout messages, and the user is referenced by name, confirming the user exists.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The user 'myuser@mycompany.com' is using an incorrect password.
Why this is correct
Authentication failure typically indicates wrong password.
- ✗
There is a network connectivity issue between the client and the database.
Why it's wrong here
Network issues would show connection timeouts, not authentication errors.
- ✗
The database has reached its maximum number of connections.
Why it's wrong here
Connection limit errors are different.
- ✗
The user 'myuser@mycompany.com' does not exist in the database.
Why it's wrong here
The error would be 'role does not exist' rather than 'failed to authenticate'.
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