The answer is to store the secret in AWS Secrets Manager and enable automatic rotation with a Lambda function. This is the most secure approach because Secrets Manager natively integrates with RDS to handle the master password, encrypting it at rest and in transit, while a custom Lambda function can update the password in both Secrets Manager and the RDS instance during rotation, ensuring no plaintext exposure. On the AWS Certified Database Specialty DBS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the shared responsibility model and the principle of least privilege—common traps include choosing to store secrets in application code or using static environment variables, which are insecure. Remember that Secrets Manager’s automatic rotation, paired with IAM-based retrieval, eliminates hardcoded credentials and manual rotation overhead. A helpful memory tip: “Secrets Manager rotates, Lambda updates, IAM gates access.”
DBS-C01 Database Security Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of database security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Network Topology
A developer retrieved a database secret using the AWS CLI as shown. What is the MOST secure way to store and rotate this secret?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Store the secret in AWS Secrets Manager and enable automatic rotation with a Lambda function.
Option A is correct. Secrets Manager can automatically rotate secrets, and the secret should be retrieved using IAM permissions. Option B is insecure. Option C is not best practice. Option D is not needed.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Store the secret in AWS Secrets Manager and enable automatic rotation with a Lambda function.
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager handles rotation securely.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Store the secret in AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store as a SecureString.
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store does not have built-in rotation.
✗
Store the secret in a configuration file on the EC2 instance.
Why it's wrong here
Insecure, hardcoded passwords.
✗
Use the secret as-is and change it manually every 90 days.
Why it's wrong here
Manual rotation is error-prone.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Database Security — This question tests Database Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Store the secret in AWS Secrets Manager and enable automatic rotation with a Lambda function. — Option A is correct. Secrets Manager can automatically rotate secrets, and the secret should be retrieved using IAM permissions. Option B is insecure. Option C is not best practice. Option D is not needed.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which DBS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 company needs to securely store and manage the master password for their Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL instance. Which AWS service is purpose-built for managing secrets with automatic rotation?
easy
A.AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
✓ B.AWS Secrets Manager
C.AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
D.AWS CloudHSM
Why B: Option B is correct because AWS Secrets Manager is designed for secret management with built-in rotation. Option A is wrong because KMS is for encryption keys, not secret management. Option C is wrong because CloudHSM provides hardware security modules but not secret rotation. Option D is wrong because IAM is for identity and access management, not secret storage.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
Question Discussion
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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.
Question Discussion
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