SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
A company runs an internal API on Amazon EC2 instances in a private subnet. The API must call AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store to read configuration values. The security team wants to avoid long-lived credentials on the instances and avoid routing traffic over the public internet. Which combination of steps should be taken?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is reaching for a gateway VPC endpoint for Systems Manager, when gateway endpoints exist only for Amazon S3 and Amazon DynamoDB.
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
✓
Attach an IAM role to the instances and create an interface VPC endpoint for Systems Manager.
Temporary credentials come from an IAM role attached to the instances, eliminating static access keys. Private access to Parameter Store is provided by an interface VPC endpoint, which uses AWS PrivateLink to keep traffic within the AWS network. Combining the role and the interface endpoint satisfies both the credential hygiene and the no-public-internet constraints.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Attach an IAM role to the instances and route Parameter Store calls through a NAT gateway.
Why it's wrong here
The IAM role correctly removes long-lived credentials, but routing through a NAT gateway sends traffic over the public internet to the regional Parameter Store endpoint. The requirement is to avoid public internet paths, so this half-solution fails the connectivity constraint even though the credential handling is sound.
- ✗
Use an EC2 instance profile with a gateway VPC endpoint for Systems Manager.
Why it's wrong here
Gateway VPC endpoints are only supported for Amazon S3 and Amazon DynamoDB, not for Systems Manager or Parameter Store. The instance profile does supply temporary credentials, but the endpoint type is wrong, so the private connectivity goal is not achieved. This option sounds plausible but is technically invalid for the service.
- ✓
Attach an IAM role to the instances and create an interface VPC endpoint for Systems Manager.
Why this is correct
An attached IAM role provides temporary credentials through instance metadata, removing long-lived keys. An interface VPC endpoint powered by AWS PrivateLink keeps Parameter Store traffic inside the VPC, so no internet or NAT gateway is needed. Together they meet both the credential and the private connectivity requirements.
- ✗
Store IAM user access keys in AWS Secrets Manager and retrieve them from the instance at boot.
Why it's wrong here
Storing long-lived IAM user access keys, even in Secrets Manager, still creates static credentials that must be rotated and can be leaked. It also does not address private connectivity to the Parameter Store endpoint. This approach conflicts with the goal of eliminating long-lived credentials and does not satisfy the no-public-internet requirement.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 935 original SAA-C03 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03 exam.