Question 753 of 724
DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
A developer stores database credentials for an application running on Amazon EC2. The security team requires that the credentials be automatically rotated every 30 days to reduce the risk of compromise. Which AWS service should the developer use to store and automatically rotate the credentials?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (which can store secrets but lacks native automatic rotation) with AWS Secrets Manager, leading them to choose Parameter Store for its lower cost or familiarity, despite the explicit rotation requirement.
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
✓
AWS Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store database credentials and other secrets, and it provides built-in, configurable automatic rotation (e.g., every 30 days) using AWS Lambda. This meets the security team's requirement without custom scripting or infrastructure management.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store allows for secure storage of configuration data and secrets, including database credentials, as SecureString parameters. While it provides encryption using KMS, it does not offer native, automatic rotation capabilities for these secrets. Implementing rotation would require custom Lambda functions and external scheduling, making it a less integrated and more complex solution compared to services designed specifically for secret rotation.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
AWS Secrets Manager is purpose-built for managing, retrieving, and rotating database credentials, API keys, and other secrets throughout their lifecycle. It provides native, automatic rotation capabilities for various services, including Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, and Amazon DocumentDB, with configurable schedules (e.g., every 30 days). This eliminates the need for manual rotation or complex custom solutions, significantly enhancing security posture by regularly changing credentials.
- ✗
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why it's wrong here
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is a managed service that makes it easy to create and control the encryption keys used to encrypt your data. While KMS is fundamental for encrypting secrets stored in services like Parameter Store or Secrets Manager, its primary function is key management, not the storage or automatic rotation of the actual database credentials. It provides the cryptographic primitives, but does not handle the lifecycle management of the secrets themselves.
- ✗
IAM Roles for EC2
Why it's wrong here
IAM Roles for EC2 instances provide a secure way for applications running on EC2 to obtain temporary, automatically rotated credentials to access other AWS services, such as S3 or DynamoDB. However, IAM roles do not store or manage application-specific database credentials (e.g., username/password for an RDS instance). They grant permissions to the EC2 instance itself to interact with AWS APIs, not act as a repository for secrets that an application uses to connect to an external database.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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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