- A
{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"AWS":"arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]} where 123456789012 is the developers account ID.
The root user of the account is used to allow all IAM users/roles in that account to assume the role.
- B
{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"Service":"ec2.amazonaws.com"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]}
Why wrong: This allows EC2 service, not an IAM user from another account.
- C
{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"AWS":"arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/*"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]}
Why wrong: Using user/* is not valid; the principal must be an account root or a specific IAM entity.
- D
{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"AWS":"arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/AdminRole"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]}
Why wrong: That ARN refers to a role in the same account, not the developers account.
Quick Answer
The correct trust policy for the AdminRole in the production account uses the developers account’s root ARN (arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root) as the Principal, because this delegates trust to the entire developers account rather than to a specific user or role. When a developer’s IAM user in that account calls sts:AssumeRole, AWS first checks this cross-account IAM role trust policy; by specifying the root ARN, you allow any identity within the developers account to attempt the role assumption, while the individual user’s ability to actually assume the role is then governed by a separate IAM policy attached to that user or group. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding that trust policies are account-level permissions, not user-level—a common trap is mistakenly listing a specific user ARN, which would break cross-account access for other developers. Memory tip: think “root for the account, policy for the user”—the trust policy opens the door to the whole account, and the user’s IAM policy decides who walks through.
DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of 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.
A company is designing a multi-account strategy using AWS Organizations. They want to enable cross-account access for developers using IAM roles. Each developer has an IAM user in the 'developers' account. The 'production' account has an IAM role 'AdminRole' that can be assumed by the 'developers' account. Which trust policy should be attached to 'AdminRole'?
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
{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"AWS":"arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]} where 123456789012 is the developers account ID.
Option A is correct because the trust policy on the 'AdminRole' in the production account must allow the entire 'developers' account (using its root ARN) to assume the role. When an IAM user in the developers account calls sts:AssumeRole, AWS evaluates the trust policy; specifying the root ARN of the developers account (arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root) delegates trust to the entire account, and the individual user's permissions are then controlled by an IAM policy attached to the user or a group that grants sts:AssumeRole for this role.
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.
- ✓
{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"AWS":"arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]} where 123456789012 is the developers account ID.
Why this is correct
The root user of the account is used to allow all IAM users/roles in that account to assume the role.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"Service":"ec2.amazonaws.com"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]}
Why it's wrong here
This allows EC2 service, not an IAM user from another account.
- ✗
{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"AWS":"arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/*"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]}
Why it's wrong here
Using user/* is not valid; the principal must be an account root or a specific IAM entity.
- ✗
{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"AWS":"arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/AdminRole"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]}
Why it's wrong here
That ARN refers to a role in the same account, not the developers account.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the trust policy's Principal with the resource being accessed, mistakenly specifying the role's own ARN (Option D) or limiting to specific users (Option C), instead of using the root ARN of the trusted account to allow any authorized entity in that account to assume the role.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the trust policy is evaluated by the AWS Security Token Service (STS) during the AssumeRole API call. The Principal element must match the AWS account ID or ARN of the entity making the request; using the root ARN (arn:aws:iam::ACCOUNT-ID:root) is a common pattern to delegate trust to an entire account, after which individual IAM policies in the trusted account control which users or roles can actually perform the sts:AssumeRole action. In real-world multi-account strategies, this allows centralized management of cross-account access while maintaining granular control via IAM policies.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DVA-C02 question test?
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: {"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":{"AWS":"arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root"},"Action":"sts:AssumeRole"}]} where 123456789012 is the developers account ID. — Option A is correct because the trust policy on the 'AdminRole' in the production account must allow the entire 'developers' account (using its root ARN) to assume the role. When an IAM user in the developers account calls sts:AssumeRole, AWS evaluates the trust policy; specifying the root ARN of the developers account (arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root) delegates trust to the entire account, and the individual user's permissions are then controlled by an IAM policy attached to the user or a group that grants sts:AssumeRole for this role.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on DVA-C02
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 developer needs to allow an IAM user in a different AWS account to assume a role in the developer's account. The role has permissions to access an S3 bucket. Which policy is required in the developer's account to enable this cross-account access?
medium- ✓ A.An IAM role with a trust policy that allows the external account's root user or specific IAM users/roles to assume the role
- B.An S3 bucket policy granting access to the external account
- C.An IAM user policy in the external account allowing sts:AssumeRole
- D.An AWS Organizations service control policy allowing cross-account access
Why A: Option A is correct because cross-account IAM role access requires a trust policy attached to the role in the developer's account. This trust policy specifies the external AWS account ID (or specific IAM users/roles in that account) as the principal, allowing them to call sts:AssumeRole. Once the role is assumed, the developer's account grants the necessary S3 permissions via the role's permissions policy.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This DVA-C02 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 DVA-C02 exam.
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