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 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?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an IAM role with a trust policy that allows Lambda to assume it, and attach a permissions policy granting DynamoDB access.
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.
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.
✓
Create an IAM role with a trust policy that allows Lambda to assume it, and attach a permissions policy granting DynamoDB access.
Why this is correct
Lambda uses an execution role to obtain temporary credentials.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create an IAM user and store the access keys in the Lambda environment variables.
Why it's wrong here
Access keys are long-term credentials and should not be stored in environment variables.
✗
Attach a resource-based policy to the Lambda function that grants DynamoDB access.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda does not use resource-based policies for invoking other services.
✗
Use the Lambda function's default VPC role to access DynamoDB via a VPC endpoint.
Why it's wrong here
Lambda functions do not have a default VPC role; you must specify an execution role.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse resource-based policies (used for Lambda function invocation permissions) with execution roles (used for granting the Lambda function access to other AWS services), leading them to incorrectly choose Option C.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Lambda execution role's trust policy uses the `sts:AssumeRole` action with a principal of `lambda.amazonaws.com`, and the permissions policy is attached to that role. When the Lambda function invokes DynamoDB API calls (e.g., via the AWS SDK), it automatically retrieves temporary credentials from the AWS Security Token Service (STS) using the execution role, which are valid for up to 6 hours. In a real-world scenario, if the Lambda function needs to access DynamoDB in a VPC, you would combine a VPC endpoint (for private connectivity) with the execution role (for permissions), but the role itself is still mandatory.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 an IAM role with a trust policy that allows Lambda to assume it, and attach a permissions policy granting DynamoDB access. — 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.
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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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