The answer is an S3 artifact bucket that the pipeline can access in the target account, an IAM role in the target account for the pipeline to assume, and pipeline permissions to assume that role. These three components work together to enable a cross-account CodePipeline deployment by establishing a trust relationship: the pipeline in the source account assumes an IAM role in the target account, which grants it temporary credentials to write deployment artifacts to an S3 bucket located in that target account. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cross-account IAM roles and artifact storage, often appearing as a distractor where KMS keys or CodeCommit are incorrectly listed as mandatory. A common trap is assuming a single artifact bucket in the source account suffices, but the target account must host its own bucket to maintain security boundaries. Remember the mnemonic “Role, Assume, Bucket” — the three pillars of secure cross-account pipeline deployment.
DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
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 designing a CI/CD pipeline using AWS CodePipeline. The pipeline must deploy to multiple AWS accounts. Which THREE components are required to securely deploy across accounts?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The pipeline's service role must have a trust policy allowing it to assume the target account role.
To deploy across accounts, you need an IAM role in the target account that the pipeline can assume (A), the pipeline must have permissions to assume that role (B), and the pipeline must use an artifact bucket in the target account or use cross-account access (C) to store artifacts. (D) is not required; KMS keys are optional. (E) is not needed; CodeCommit is just a source.
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.
✓
The pipeline's service role must have a trust policy allowing it to assume the target account role.
Why this is correct
Without trust, the pipeline cannot assume the role.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
An IAM role in the target account with permissions to deploy resources.
Why this is correct
The pipeline assumes this role to gain access to the target account.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A CodeCommit repository in each account.
Why it's wrong here
CodeCommit is a source, not a requirement for cross-account deployment.
✓
An S3 artifact bucket that the pipeline can access in the target account.
Why this is correct
The pipeline needs to store artifacts; cross-account access to the bucket is required.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A customer managed KMS key to encrypt artifacts.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption is optional; you can use default S3 encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
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.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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.
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: The pipeline's service role must have a trust policy allowing it to assume the target account role. — To deploy across accounts, you need an IAM role in the target account that the pipeline can assume (A), the pipeline must have permissions to assume that role (B), and the pipeline must use an artifact bucket in the target account or use cross-account access (C) to store artifacts. (D) is not required; KMS keys are optional. (E) is not needed; CodeCommit is just a source.
What should I do if I get this DVA-C02 question wrong?
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.
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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