DVA-C02 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Practice Question
Which TWO are best practices for securing an AWS account? (Choose 2)
⚠ Common exam trap
This question tests knowledge of AWS security best practices. A common trap is to assume that disabling CloudTrail saves costs without considering security implications, or that password rotation should be disabled for convenience.
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
✓
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for privileged users
The best practices for securing an AWS account include enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) for privileged users (Option D) and using IAM roles for applications that run on EC2 instances (Option E). Option A is incorrect because disabling CloudTrail reduces visibility into API activity, which is a security risk. Option B is incorrect because disabling password rotation weakens security posture. Option C is incorrect because the root user should be reserved for a limited set of tasks and not used daily.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Disable AWS CloudTrail to reduce costs
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail is essential for auditing, security analysis, and compliance. Disabling it would eliminate the audit trail of API activity, making it impossible to detect unauthorized access, investigate incidents, or meet compliance requirements. Cost should be managed by adjusting trails or data events, not by disabling entirely.
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Disable password rotation to avoid user inconvenience
Why it's wrong here
While password rotation can be inconvenient, it's a security best practice that reduces the risk of compromised credentials being used over extended periods. AWS IAM allows custom password policies, but disabling rotation entirely increases the window of exposure for stolen passwords. Modern approaches may favor longer passwords with MFA, but for privileged accounts, rotation remains recommended.
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Use the root user for daily administrative tasks
Why it's wrong here
The root user has unrestricted access to all AWS resources and services, including the ability to close the account. AWS recommends creating IAM users with least-privilege permissions for daily tasks and using the root user only for tasks that explicitly require it, like changing account-level settings. Using root daily increases the risk of accidental or malicious critical changes.
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Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for privileged users
Why this is correct
MFA adds a second authentication factor, such as a time-based one-time password (TOTP) from a hardware or virtual device, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access even if a password is compromised. For privileged users with access to sensitive resources, MFA is a critical control defined in the AWS Well-Architected Framework. It protects against credential theft and phishing attacks.
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Use IAM roles for applications that run on EC2 instances
Why this is correct
IAM roles allow EC2 instances to obtain temporary credentials via the instance metadata service (IMDSv2), avoiding the need to store long-term AWS access keys on the instance. This is a security best practice because it reduces the blast radius of key exposure and enables automatic rotation of temporary credentials. Roles can be scoped with least-privilege policies and support cross-account access.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.