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 storing secrets such as database passwords. Which TWO AWS services can be used to securely store and retrieve secrets?
AWS CloudHSM
Why wrong: CloudHSM is for hardware security, not secret storage.
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Can store encrypted parameters.
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why wrong: IAM stores passwords for IAM users, not general secrets.
AWS Secrets Manager
Designed for secrets with rotation.
Amazon S3
Why wrong: S3 is object storage, not designed for secrets.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Option B and Option D are correct. AWS Secrets Manager is designed for secrets with automatic rotation. AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store can store secrets in the Advanced tier with encryption. IAM is for identities. S3 is object storage. CloudHSM is a hardware security module.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
CloudHSM is for hardware security, not secret storage.
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why this is correct
Can store encrypted parameters.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why it's wrong here
IAM stores passwords for IAM users, not general secrets.
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
Designed for secrets with rotation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 is object storage, not designed for secrets.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which DVA-C02 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.
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FAQ
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store — Option B and Option D are correct. AWS Secrets Manager is designed for secrets with automatic rotation. AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store can store secrets in the Advanced tier with encryption. IAM is for identities. S3 is object storage. CloudHSM is a hardware security module.
Identify which DVA-C02 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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 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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