- A
Store the secret in Secrets Manager, create an IAM user with a policy to read the secret, and embed the user's credentials in the application code
Why wrong: Incorrect. Embedding credentials in code is a security risk; they can be exposed. Also, IAM users have long-term credentials, which are less secure than using roles with temporary credentials.
- B
Store the secret in Secrets Manager, attach an IAM role to the EC2 instance that grants permission to read the secret, and configure the application to retrieve the secret using the AWS SDK
Correct. This follows the least privilege principle and uses temporary credentials from the instance profile, which are automatically rotated, providing a secure and scalable solution.
- C
Store the secret as an environment variable in the EC2 user data
Why wrong: Incorrect. User data is visible in the EC2 console and logs, and environment variables can be exposed through the operating system. This is not secure.
- D
Store the secret in a configuration file on the instance and restrict file permissions
Why wrong: Incorrect. Storing secrets in files on disk, even with restrictive permissions, is less secure than using AWS Secrets Manager with IAM roles because it requires managing file distribution and rotation manually.
Quick Answer
The correct approach is to store the secret in Secrets Manager, attach an IAM role to the EC2 instance with permissions to read that secret, and configure the application to retrieve it using the AWS SDK. This method is secure because it follows the principle of least privilege—only instances assuming that specific IAM role can access the secret—and eliminates the need to embed long-term credentials in code or configuration files. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to securely retrieve secrets from Secrets Manager for EC2 using IAM roles, often appearing as a best-practice question where the trap is choosing to hardcode credentials or use instance profile keys directly. Remember: the IAM role is the bridge that grants temporary, rotated credentials to the EC2 instance, not the application itself. Memory tip: “Role to retrieve, never embed the secret.”
DVA-C02 Security Practice Question
This DVA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 building an application that needs to read a secret API key from AWS Secrets Manager. The application runs on an EC2 instance that is part of an Auto Scaling group. The developer wants to ensure that only this application can retrieve the secret. Which set of steps should the developer take?
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 in Secrets Manager, attach an IAM role to the EC2 instance that grants permission to read the secret, and configure the application to retrieve the secret using the AWS SDK
Option B is correct because it follows the principle of least privilege and uses IAM roles, which are the secure and recommended way to grant EC2 instances permissions to access AWS Secrets Manager. By attaching an IAM role to the EC2 instance, the application can securely retrieve the secret using the AWS SDK without embedding long-term credentials in code or configuration files. This ensures that only instances with that role can read the secret, and the credentials are automatically rotated by AWS.
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.
- ✗
Store the secret in Secrets Manager, create an IAM user with a policy to read the secret, and embed the user's credentials in the application code
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Embedding credentials in code is a security risk; they can be exposed. Also, IAM users have long-term credentials, which are less secure than using roles with temporary credentials.
- ✓
Store the secret in Secrets Manager, attach an IAM role to the EC2 instance that grants permission to read the secret, and configure the application to retrieve the secret using the AWS SDK
Why this is correct
Correct. This follows the least privilege principle and uses temporary credentials from the instance profile, which are automatically rotated, providing a secure and scalable solution.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Store the secret as an environment variable in the EC2 user data
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. User data is visible in the EC2 console and logs, and environment variables can be exposed through the operating system. This is not secure.
- ✗
Store the secret in a configuration file on the instance and restrict file permissions
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Storing secrets in files on disk, even with restrictive permissions, is less secure than using AWS Secrets Manager with IAM roles because it requires managing file distribution and rotation manually.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think storing secrets in user data or configuration files is acceptable for simplicity, but the exam emphasizes secure, managed solutions like IAM roles and Secrets Manager to avoid hardcoding credentials and to enable automatic rotation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When an IAM role is attached to an EC2 instance, the instance obtains temporary security credentials from the AWS STS service via the instance metadata service (IMDS). The AWS SDK automatically retrieves and refreshes these credentials, so the application code never needs to handle or store secrets directly. This approach also integrates with AWS CloudTrail for auditing all Secrets Manager API calls, providing a clear trail of who accessed the secret and when.
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.
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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 in Secrets Manager, attach an IAM role to the EC2 instance that grants permission to read the secret, and configure the application to retrieve the secret using the AWS SDK — Option B is correct because it follows the principle of least privilege and uses IAM roles, which are the secure and recommended way to grant EC2 instances permissions to access AWS Secrets Manager. By attaching an IAM role to the EC2 instance, the application can securely retrieve the secret using the AWS SDK without embedding long-term credentials in code or configuration files. This ensures that only instances with that role can read the secret, and the credentials are automatically rotated by AWS.
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.
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
2 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 building a serverless application using AWS Lambda and needs to securely store database credentials. Which AWS service should be used to store and retrieve the credentials?
medium- A.AWS CloudFormation
- ✓ B.AWS Secrets Manager
- C.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
- D.AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why B: Option B is correct because AWS Secrets Manager is designed to securely store and automatically rotate secrets such as database credentials. Option A is wrong because SSM Parameter Store can store parameters but lacks automatic rotation. Option C is wrong because KMS is for encryption keys, not credential storage. Option D is wrong because CloudFormation is for infrastructure as code.
Variation 2. A company is using AWS CodePipeline to deploy a web application. The pipeline must securely store and use database credentials. Which AWS service should the developer use to store the credentials and retrieve them during deployment?
medium- A.IAM role attached to the CodePipeline service role.
- ✓ B.AWS Secrets Manager.
- C.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store with a SecureString parameter.
- D.Amazon DynamoDB with server-side encryption.
Why B: AWS Secrets Manager is designed to store secrets like database passwords and supports automatic rotation. It integrates with CodePipeline via Lambda functions. Option A is wrong because SSM Parameter Store can store secrets but lacks native rotation for RDS. Option C is wrong because DynamoDB is not a secrets store. Option D is wrong because IAM roles are for AWS service access, not for storing database credentials.
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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