Question 1,010 of 302
SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question
A Lambda function for a mobile banking backend needs to read a database password. The password must rotate automatically every 30 days and should not be stored in environment variables. Which service should be used? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store SecureString (which can store secrets but lacks automatic rotation) with Secrets Manager, or they assume that encrypting environment variables with KMS is sufficient for rotation, ignoring the need for automated lifecycle management.
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 with rotation enabled
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it natively supports automatic rotation of secrets on a configurable schedule (e.g., every 30 days) without requiring custom scripts. It also provides fine-grained access control and integrates directly with Lambda via the AWS SDK, keeping the password out of environment variables and code.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
An encrypted object in Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 can store encrypted data but is not a secret lifecycle management service.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager with rotation enabled
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager stores secrets securely and supports automatic rotation using a rotation Lambda function.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store SecureString without automation
Why it's wrong here
SecureString can store secrets, but automatic rotation is not built in for the secret value.
- ✗
A KMS-encrypted Lambda environment variable
Why it's wrong here
Encrypting an environment variable protects storage but does not provide managed secret rotation.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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