ANS-C01 Network Security, Compliance and Governance Practice Question
A company wants to securely store and manage secrets such as database passwords and API keys. They need to automatically rotate secrets every 30 days and ensure that only specific IAM roles can access them. Which AWS service should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store (which can store secrets securely but lacks native rotation) with AWS Secrets Manager, leading them to choose Parameter Store when automatic rotation is explicitly required.
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
✓
AWS Secrets Manager
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is purpose-built for securely storing, managing, and automatically rotating secrets such as database passwords and API keys. It supports native rotation with AWS Lambda, enforces fine-grained access control via IAM roles, and can rotate secrets on a schedule (e.g., every 30 days) without custom scripting.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store can store secrets but does not have native automatic rotation. It requires custom solutions.
- ✗
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why it's wrong here
KMS is for creating and managing encryption keys, not for storing secrets or rotation.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager is designed for storing secrets with built-in rotation capability and fine-grained access control using IAM policies.
- ✗
AWS CloudHSM
Why it's wrong here
CloudHSM is a hardware security module for key generation and storage, not for secret management.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Related to this question
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on ANS-C01
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 company is using AWS Secrets Manager to store database credentials. They want to ensure that the credentials are automatically rotated every 30 days. Which configuration is required?
easy- ✓ A.Enable automatic rotation in the secret configuration and provide a Lambda rotation function.
- B.Store the secret in AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store and configure a rotation schedule.
- C.Store the secret in AWS CloudHSM and use a scheduled Lambda to rotate.
- D.Use IAM Access Analyzer to rotate the credentials periodically.
Why A: AWS Secrets Manager provides built-in automatic rotation using a Lambda function. Option B is incorrect because AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store does not support automatic rotation of secrets; it is designed for configuration management. Option C is incorrect because AWS CloudHSM is a hardware security module for storing cryptographic keys, not for automating credential rotation. Option D is incorrect because IAM Access Analyzer analyzes resource policies to identify unintended access, not to rotate credentials.
Variation 2. A company wants to securely store secrets such as database credentials and API keys. Which TWO AWS services can be used for this purpose? (Choose two.)
medium- ✓ A.AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
- B.Amazon S3
- C.AWS CloudFormation
- ✓ D.AWS Secrets Manager
- E.AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why A: (AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store) and Option D (AWS Secrets Manager) are correct. Parameter Store can store secrets securely with encryption and integrates with AWS KMS. Secrets Manager is designed for secrets with automatic rotation and fine-grained access control. Option B (Amazon S3) is not secure by default and requires additional configuration. Option C (AWS CloudFormation) is for infrastructure as code, not for storing secrets. Option E (AWS Identity and Access Management) is for managing users and roles, not for storing secrets.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This ANS-C01 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 ANS-C01 exam.