Quick Answer
The answer is IAM roles with scoped permissions, paired with an Amazon Cognito identity pool. This combination works because the identity pool acts as a broker: after a mobile user authenticates through a user pool or external identity provider, Cognito exchanges that identity token for temporary AWS credentials via AWS Security Token Service (STS). Those credentials are automatically scoped to a specific IAM role, which you configure with fine-grained, least-privilege permissions—so no long-term keys are ever embedded in the mobile app. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this pattern tests your understanding of secure credential distribution for mobile clients; a common trap is confusing Cognito user pools (which handle authentication only) with identity pools (which handle authorization via temporary credentials). Remember the key distinction: user pools sign users in, identity pools give them keys. A helpful memory tip is “Pool for login, Identity for permission”—the identity pool is what actually grants the scoped, temporary access to AWS resources.
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 securely distribute temporary AWS credentials to authenticated mobile users. Which two components are commonly involved?
Amazon Cognito identity pools
Correct for the stated requirement.
AWS root access keys
Why wrong: This does not meet the stated requirement as directly as the correct option.
IAM roles with scoped permissions
Correct for the stated requirement.
An unrestricted S3 bucket policy
Why wrong: This does not meet the stated requirement as directly as the correct option.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon Cognito identity pools
Amazon Cognito identity pools allow you to exchange identity tokens (from a user pool or external IdP) for temporary AWS credentials via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). These credentials are scoped to an IAM role with fine-grained permissions, enabling secure, least-privilege access to AWS resources from mobile apps without embedding long-term keys.
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.
Amazon Cognito identity pools
Why this is correct
Correct for the stated requirement.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS root access keys
Why it's wrong here
This does not meet the stated requirement as directly as the correct option.
IAM roles with scoped permissions
Why this is correct
Correct for the stated requirement.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
An unrestricted S3 bucket policy
Why it's wrong here
This does not meet the stated requirement as directly as the correct option.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse Cognito user pools (which handle authentication and issue JWTs) with identity pools (which provide temporary AWS credentials), or mistakenly think root keys or open bucket policies are acceptable for mobile distribution.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Cognito identity pools call the AWS STS AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity API, which returns a temporary access key, secret key, and session token valid for up to 1 hour by default (configurable up to 12 hours). The IAM role attached to the identity pool can use conditions like 'cognito-identity.amazonaws.com:sub' to restrict access to a specific authenticated user, enabling fine-grained resource-level control in real-world scenarios like per-user S3 folder access.
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
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FAQ
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon Cognito identity pools — Amazon Cognito identity pools allow you to exchange identity tokens (from a user pool or external IdP) for temporary AWS credentials via the AWS Security Token Service (STS). These credentials are scoped to an IAM role with fine-grained permissions, enabling secure, least-privilege access to AWS resources from mobile apps without embedding long-term keys.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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