Quick Answer
The answer is to use AWS STS to generate temporary security credentials. This is correct because AWS Security Token Service (STS) creates short-lived credentials with a configurable expiration, up to a maximum of 12 hours for IAM users, allowing permissions to expire automatically without manual intervention. On the AWS Certified Developer Associate DVA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of temporary IAM credentials with STS versus long-term access keys, often appearing in questions about granting time-limited access for specific tasks. A common trap is choosing to modify the IAM user’s policy directly, which would require manual cleanup and lacks automatic expiration. Remember: for any permission that needs to self-destruct, think STS—temporary credentials are the key to time-boxed access.
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 temporarily grant an IAM user permissions to perform a specific task. The permissions should expire after 12 hours. Which approach should the developer use?
Attach a policy to the user and detach it after 12 hours.
Why wrong: Long-term keys remain.
Use AWS STS to generate temporary security credentials.
Temporary and time-limited.
Use cross-account IAM roles.
Why wrong: Not time-bound.
Create a new IAM user with the required permissions and delete the user after 12 hours.
Why wrong: Long-term keys, not temporary.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use AWS STS to generate temporary security credentials.
AWS Security Token Service (STS) can generate temporary security credentials that are valid for a configurable duration, up to a maximum of 12 hours for IAM users. This allows the developer to grant permissions that automatically expire without manual intervention, meeting the requirement precisely.
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.
Attach a policy to the user and detach it after 12 hours.
Why it's wrong here
Long-term keys remain.
Use AWS STS to generate temporary security credentials.
Why this is correct
Temporary and time-limited.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Use cross-account IAM roles.
Why it's wrong here
Not time-bound.
Create a new IAM user with the required permissions and delete the user after 12 hours.
Why it's wrong here
Long-term keys, not temporary.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse temporary credentials with manual policy management or cross-account roles, but the key requirement is automatic expiration within the same account, which only STS provides.
Detailed technical explanation
When using AWS STS to call AssumeRole or GetFederationToken, the returned credentials include an AccessKeyId, SecretAccessKey, and SessionToken with a specified expiration timestamp. The maximum session duration for an IAM user role session is 12 hours (configurable via the DurationSeconds parameter, up to 43200 seconds). These temporary credentials are automatically invalidated by AWS after expiration, ensuring no manual cleanup is needed.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Use AWS STS to generate temporary security credentials. — AWS Security Token Service (STS) can generate temporary security credentials that are valid for a configurable duration, up to a maximum of 12 hours for IAM users. This allows the developer to grant permissions that automatically expire without manual intervention, meeting the requirement precisely.
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 24, 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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