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Question 855 of 1,616

Security →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is to create a custom IAM policy with specific DynamoDB actions like GetItem and PutItem on the exact table and attach it to the Lambda execution role. This configuration is correct because it strictly follows the principle of least privilege by granting only the precise DynamoDB actions needed for the function’s logic, scoped to the specific table ARN, rather than using managed policies like AmazonDynamoDBFullAccess that would over-permission the role. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of IAM execution roles for Lambda and how to craft fine-grained resource-based policies for DynamoDB access—a common trap is selecting a managed policy for convenience, which would violate least privilege and fail security best practices. Remember the memory tip: “Specific table, specific action, specific role” to ensure you scope permissions down to the exact resource and operation every time.

DVA-C02 Security Practice Question

This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 developer is building a serverless application using AWS Lambda and API Gateway. The Lambda function needs to access a DynamoDB table that stores sensitive customer data. The developer wants to follow the principle of least privilege. Which IAM role configuration should be used?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
Configure a resource-based policy on the Lambda function to allow DynamoDB access.
Why wrong: Resource-based policies are used for cross-account access, not for granting DynamoDB permissions to Lambda.
B
Attach the AmazonDynamoDBFullAccess managed policy to the Lambda execution role.
Why wrong: This grants full access to all DynamoDB tables, violating least privilege.
C
Use an S3 bucket policy to grant the Lambda function access to the DynamoDB table.
Why wrong: S3 bucket policies are for S3 access, not DynamoDB.
D
Create a custom IAM policy with specific DynamoDB actions (e.g., GetItem, PutItem) on the specific table and attach it to the Lambda execution role.
This follows the principle of least privilege by granting only necessary actions on the specific table.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Create a custom IAM policy with specific DynamoDB actions (e.g., GetItem, PutItem) on the specific table and attach it to the Lambda execution role.

Option D is correct because it adheres to the principle of least privilege by granting only the specific DynamoDB actions (e.g., GetItem, PutItem) required by the Lambda function, scoped to the exact table. The Lambda execution role is an IAM role that the Lambda service assumes, and attaching a custom policy with fine-grained permissions ensures minimal access. This approach avoids over-permissioning and follows AWS security best practices for serverless applications.

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.

✗
Configure a resource-based policy on the Lambda function to allow DynamoDB access.
Why it's wrong here
Resource-based policies are used for cross-account access, not for granting DynamoDB permissions to Lambda.
✗
Attach the AmazonDynamoDBFullAccess managed policy to the Lambda execution role.
Why it's wrong here
This grants full access to all DynamoDB tables, violating least privilege.
✗
Use an S3 bucket policy to grant the Lambda function access to the DynamoDB table.
Why it's wrong here
S3 bucket policies are for S3 access, not DynamoDB.
✓
Create a custom IAM policy with specific DynamoDB actions (e.g., GetItem, PutItem) on the specific table and attach it to the Lambda execution role.
Why this is correct
This follows the principle of least privilege by granting only necessary actions on the specific table.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates confuse resource-based policies (used for granting invoke permissions to Lambda) with execution role policies (used for granting the Lambda function access to other AWS services), leading them to pick Option A, which does not control DynamoDB access.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, when a Lambda function invokes a DynamoDB API call, the AWS SDK uses the temporary credentials from the Lambda execution role (via the AWS Security Token Service) to sign the request. DynamoDB evaluates the IAM policy attached to that role, checking for allowed actions and resource ARNs. A common subtlety is that DynamoDB supports condition keys like 'dynamodb:LeadingKeys' for fine-grained access control on item-level operations, which can be added to the custom policy for even tighter security in multi-tenant scenarios.

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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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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: Create a custom IAM policy with specific DynamoDB actions (e.g., GetItem, PutItem) on the specific table and attach it to the Lambda execution role. — Option D is correct because it adheres to the principle of least privilege by granting only the specific DynamoDB actions (e.g., GetItem, PutItem) required by the Lambda function, scoped to the exact table. The Lambda execution role is an IAM role that the Lambda service assumes, and attaching a custom policy with fine-grained permissions ensures minimal access. This approach avoids over-permissioning and follows AWS security best practices for serverless applications.

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.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Same concept, more angles

2 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 is building a serverless application using AWS Lambda functions that need to read and write to an Amazon DynamoDB table. What is the best practice for granting the Lambda function access to DynamoDB?

easy

✓ A.Create an IAM role with a trust policy that allows Lambda to assume it, and attach a permissions policy granting DynamoDB access.
B.Create an IAM user and store the access keys in the Lambda environment variables.
C.Attach a resource-based policy to the Lambda function that grants DynamoDB access.
D.Use the Lambda function's default VPC role to access DynamoDB via a VPC endpoint.

Why A: Option A is correct because AWS Lambda functions require an IAM role (execution role) with a trust policy that allows Lambda to assume it, and a permissions policy that grants the necessary DynamoDB actions (e.g., GetItem, PutItem). This is the standard and secure method for granting permissions to Lambda, as it avoids hardcoding credentials and follows the principle of least privilege.

Variation 2. A developer is building a serverless application with AWS Lambda that needs to read from an Amazon DynamoDB table. The Lambda function is in a VPC. What is the MOST secure way to grant the Lambda function access to DynamoDB?

hard

✓ A.Attach an IAM role to the Lambda function that allows the necessary DynamoDB actions.
B.Create a VPC endpoint for DynamoDB and associate a security group.
C.Store DynamoDB credentials in AWS Secrets Manager and retrieve them in the Lambda code.
D.Use an EC2 instance profile attached to the Lambda function's execution environment.

Why A: The best practice is to attach an IAM role to the Lambda function with a policy that grants only the required DynamoDB actions (e.g., GetItem, Query). Lambda does not require a VPC endpoint for DynamoDB if it has internet access via a NAT gateway, but the IAM role is essential. Option A is wrong because VPC endpoints are for private connectivity, not authorization. Option C is wrong because hard-coding keys is insecure. Option D is wrong because Lambda does not use instance profiles.

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