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Question 920 of 1,040

Design Secure Architectures →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to create an IAM role for administration with a permissions policy that denies all allowed actions unless `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` is true. This design is correct because it enforces MFA for every API call made using temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys and ensuring that even if session tokens are compromised, actions are blocked without MFA. The condition key `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` must evaluate to `true` for the policy to allow the read/write operations, directly addressing the security team’s requirement to enforce MFA for all infrastructure changes. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of IAM role-based access with condition keys, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly apply the MFA condition to a user policy instead of a role’s trust or permissions policy. A common memory tip is “Role + Condition = MFA for every call,” reminding you that the condition must be on the role’s permissions policy, not just the trust policy, to gate every API action.

SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question

This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. 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. A key principle to apply: iAM roles provide temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys.. 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.

An administrator needs the ability to read and update infrastructure for a specific AWS account, but only when using MFA. The security team wants to eliminate long-lived administrator access keys and ensure that even if someone obtains temporary session credentials, actions are only allowed with MFA present.

Which IAM design best meets these requirements?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Read the full NAT/PAT explanation →

A
Create an IAM user for administrators with AdministratorAccess and require MFA only at the IAM user login.
Why wrong: AdministratorAccess grants too much privilege and still relies on long-lived access keys. MFA at login does not prevent use of existing sessions without MFA constraints.
B
Create an IAM role for administration and use a permissions policy that allows only the required read/write actions. Add a condition to deny all allowed actions unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.
A role-based approach removes long-lived keys and supports temporary credentials. Using a permissions-policy condition to require MFA presence enforces that the session must have MFA to perform actions, aligning with the “actions only allowed with MFA present” requirement.
C
Attach policies to an IAM user that allow read/write actions and enable MFA in the account, but do not use condition keys in IAM policies.
Why wrong: Enabling MFA at the account level is not the same as enforcing MFA presence for each API call. Without condition keys, sessions may still be used without MFA constraints.
D
Use a role with the correct actions but enforce MFA only in the application by prompting users for an OTP before every API call.
Why wrong: Client-side enforcement is not reliable and can be bypassed. Security should be enforced at the IAM policy layer using condition keys to control authorization.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Create an IAM role for administration and use a permissions policy that allows only the required read/write actions. Add a condition to deny all allowed actions unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.

Option B is correct because it uses an IAM role with a permissions policy that includes a condition key `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` set to `true`. This ensures that any API call made using temporary credentials from the role requires MFA to be present, eliminating long-lived access keys and enforcing MFA for every action. The role-based approach also aligns with the principle of least privilege by scoping actions to only required read/write operations.

Key principle: IAM roles provide temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
Create an IAM user for administrators with AdministratorAccess and require MFA only at the IAM user login.
Why it's wrong here
AdministratorAccess grants too much privilege and still relies on long-lived access keys. MFA at login does not prevent use of existing sessions without MFA constraints.
✓
Create an IAM role for administration and use a permissions policy that allows only the required read/write actions. Add a condition to deny all allowed actions unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.
Why this is correct
A role-based approach removes long-lived keys and supports temporary credentials. Using a permissions-policy condition to require MFA presence enforces that the session must have MFA to perform actions, aligning with the “actions only allowed with MFA present” requirement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
IAM roles provide temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys.
✗
Attach policies to an IAM user that allow read/write actions and enable MFA in the account, but do not use condition keys in IAM policies.
Why it's wrong here
Enabling MFA at the account level is not the same as enforcing MFA presence for each API call. Without condition keys, sessions may still be used without MFA constraints.
✗
Use a role with the correct actions but enforce MFA only in the application by prompting users for an OTP before every API call.
Why it's wrong here
Client-side enforcement is not reliable and can be bypassed. Security should be enforced at the IAM policy layer using condition keys to control authorization.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates assume requiring MFA at login (Option A) or enabling MFA in the account (Option C) is sufficient, but they overlook the need for a condition key in the IAM policy to enforce MFA for every API call, not just the initial authentication.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

The `aws:MultiAuthFactorPresent` condition key evaluates to `true` only when the principal authenticated using a multi-factor authentication device (e.g., hardware TOTP token or virtual MFA) during the session. This key is not set for long-lived access keys or role sessions that don't include MFA, making it a robust way to enforce MFA for every API call. In practice, this is often combined with a `Deny` effect in a service control policy (SCP) or an IAM permissions boundary to prevent administrators from bypassing the MFA requirement.

KKey Concepts to Remember

IAM roles provide temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys.
IAM policy conditions enforce authorization rules based on request context.
`aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` condition key checks if MFA was used for session authentication.
Enforcing MFA via policy conditions is a server-side, unbypassable security control.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

IAM roles provide temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

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

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review iAM roles provide temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SAA-C03 question test?

Design Secure Architectures — This question tests Design Secure Architectures — IAM roles provide temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Create an IAM role for administration and use a permissions policy that allows only the required read/write actions. Add a condition to deny all allowed actions unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true. — Option B is correct because it uses an IAM role with a permissions policy that includes a condition key `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` set to `true`. This ensures that any API call made using temporary credentials from the role requires MFA to be present, eliminating long-lived access keys and enforcing MFA for every action. The role-based approach also aligns with the principle of least privilege by scoping actions to only required read/write operations.

What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?

Review iAM roles provide temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys., then practise related SAA-C03 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

What is the key concept behind this question?

IAM roles provide temporary credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys.

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on SAA-C03

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. An administrator needs the ability to read and update infrastructure for a specific AWS account, but only when using MFA. The security team wants to eliminate long-lived administrator access keys and ensure that even if someone obtains temporary session credentials, actions are only allowed with MFA present. Which IAM design best meets these requirements?

medium

A.Create an IAM user for administrators with AdministratorAccess and require MFA only at the IAM user login.
✓ B.Create an IAM role for administration and use a permissions policy that allows only the required read/write actions. Add a condition to deny all allowed actions unless aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent is true.
C.Attach policies to an IAM user that allow read/write actions and enable MFA in the account, but do not use condition keys in IAM policies.
D.Use a role with the correct actions but enforce MFA only in the application by prompting users for an OTP before every API call.

Why B: Option B is correct because it uses an IAM role with a condition key `aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent` set to `true` to enforce MFA for all API calls made with temporary credentials. This eliminates long-lived access keys and ensures that even if temporary session credentials are compromised, actions are denied unless MFA was used during the session. The policy explicitly denies all allowed actions when MFA is not present, meeting the security team's requirement for MFA on every administrative action.

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