- A
Use AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store with a secure string parameter
Why wrong: Parameter Store can be used, but Secrets Manager is specifically designed for secrets and offers automatic rotation.
- B
Store the secret ID in an environment variable and use the AWS SDK to retrieve it
Using the IAM role, the application can call Secrets Manager with the secret ID stored in an environment variable.
- C
Store the secret in an S3 bucket with server-side encryption
Why wrong: Secrets Manager provides better access control and rotation; S3 is not designed for secrets.
- D
Hardcode the secret in the application code
Why wrong: Hardcoding secrets is insecure and violates best practices.
Question 536 of 1,616
Secure Secret Retrieval from AWS Secrets Manager on EC2 Using IAM Role
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 company uses AWS Secrets Manager to store database credentials. The application runs on Amazon EC2 instances with an IAM role attached. How should the application retrieve the secret securely?
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
✓
Store the secret ID in an environment variable and use the AWS SDK to retrieve it
The best practice is to use the IAM role to call Secrets Manager APIs. The role must have a policy allowing secretsmanager:GetSecretValue. The application can then retrieve the secret at runtime using the AWS SDK.
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.
- ✗
Use AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store with a secure string parameter
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store can be used, but Secrets Manager is specifically designed for secrets and offers automatic rotation.
- ✓
Store the secret ID in an environment variable and use the AWS SDK to retrieve it
Why this is correct
Using the IAM role, the application can call Secrets Manager with the secret ID stored in an environment variable.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Store the secret in an S3 bucket with server-side encryption
Why it's wrong here
Secrets Manager provides better access control and rotation; S3 is not designed for secrets.
- ✗
Hardcode the secret in the application code
Why it's wrong here
Hardcoding secrets is insecure and violates best practices.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DVA-C02 question test?
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: Store the secret ID in an environment variable and use the AWS SDK to retrieve it — The best practice is to use the IAM role to call Secrets Manager APIs. The role must have a policy allowing secretsmanager:GetSecretValue. The application can then retrieve the secret at runtime using the AWS SDK.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on DVA-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A developer is using AWS Secrets Manager to store database credentials. The application runs on EC2 and needs to retrieve the secret. Which approach is the most secure?
medium- A.Store the secret in an environment variable in the user data script.
- ✓ B.Use an IAM role attached to the EC2 instance with permissions to access the secret, and call the AWS SDK to retrieve it at runtime.
- C.Retrieve the secret at application startup and store it in a configuration file.
- D.Download the secret from an S3 bucket using pre-signed URLs.
Why B: Option B is correct because it follows the principle of least privilege and avoids hardcoding or storing secrets in insecure locations. By attaching an IAM role to the EC2 instance, the application can securely retrieve the secret from AWS Secrets Manager at runtime using the AWS SDK, without ever exposing the secret in code, configuration files, or environment variables. This approach leverages IAM's temporary credentials from the instance metadata service (IMDS) to authenticate the SDK call, ensuring the secret is never persisted locally.
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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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