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 needs to allow an EC2 instance to read from a DynamoDB table. Which is the best practice to grant permissions?
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 the required permissions and attach it to the EC2 instance.
The best practice for granting an EC2 instance permissions to access DynamoDB is to create an IAM role with the required permissions and attach it to the instance. This eliminates the need to manage long-term credentials, as the instance automatically retrieves temporary security credentials from the instance metadata service (IMDS) via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). This approach follows the principle of least privilege and ensures credentials are rotated automatically.
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 the required permissions and attach it to the EC2 instance.
Why this is correct
IAM roles are the secure way to grant permissions to EC2.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Generate an IAM user access key and store it in the application configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Storing keys in config is insecure.
✗
Hardcode the AWS credentials in the application code.
Why it's wrong here
Hardcoding is a security risk.
✗
Add the DynamoDB table ARN to the EC2 instance's security group.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups do not grant DynamoDB access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse security groups (network-level access control) with IAM policies (identity-based access control) and incorrectly think adding a DynamoDB table ARN to a security group can grant data access, when in fact security groups only control network traffic and cannot authorize API calls to DynamoDB.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When an IAM role is attached to an EC2 instance, the instance uses the AWS Instance Metadata Service (IMDSv2) to retrieve a temporary security token that is valid for a configurable duration (default 6 hours). The AWS SDKs automatically handle credential refresh by calling the AssumeRole API via the instance metadata, so the application never needs to manage or store credentials. In a real-world scenario, if the instance is in an Auto Scaling group, using a role ensures that new instances automatically inherit the correct permissions without manual intervention.
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 the required permissions and attach it to the EC2 instance. — The best practice for granting an EC2 instance permissions to access DynamoDB is to create an IAM role with the required permissions and attach it to the instance. This eliminates the need to manage long-term credentials, as the instance automatically retrieves temporary security credentials from the instance metadata service (IMDS) via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). This approach follows the principle of least privilege and ensures credentials are rotated automatically.
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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