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Question 37 of 1,040
Design Secure Architectures →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is `secretsmanager:GetSecretValue` scoped to the secret’s full ARN. This is the correct least privilege IAM permission because the Lambda function only needs to read the current value of exactly one secret at startup, and restricting both the action and the resource to that specific ARN prevents the function from accessing any other secrets in the account. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of resource-based policy scoping versus broad wildcard permissions, and a common trap is granting `secretsmanager:*` or using a partial ARN like `arn:aws:secretsmanager:us-east-1:123456789012:secret:*`, which would violate least privilege. Remember the memory tip: “One secret, one ARN, one action—GetSecretValue is the only action that returns the plaintext, so scope it tight.”

SAA-C03 Design Secure Architectures Practice Question

This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design secure architectures. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. 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.

A Lambda function needs to read the current value of exactly one AWS Secrets Manager secret at startup. Which least-privilege IAM permission (action and resource scope) should you grant to the Lambda execution role?

Clue words in this question

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

  • Clue: "least"

    Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

Question 1easymultiple choice
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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

✓

secretsmanager:GetSecretValue on only the secret’s full ARN

The Lambda function needs to read the current value of exactly one secret at startup. The least-privilege permission is `secretsmanager:GetSecretValue` scoped to that secret's full ARN. This action retrieves the secret value, and restricting the resource to the specific ARN ensures the function cannot access any other secrets.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

  • ✗

    secretsmanager:ListSecrets on all secrets (resource set to "*")

    Why it's wrong here

    ListSecrets allows enumerating secrets. If the function already knows the specific secret it must read, enumeration is unnecessary and violates least privilege by granting access to potentially many secrets.

  • ✓

    secretsmanager:GetSecretValue on only the secret’s full ARN

    Why this is correct

    GetSecretValue is the specific action required to retrieve the secret value. Scoping the permission to the secret’s full ARN ensures the Lambda role can read only that secret and cannot access other secrets.

    Clue confirmation

    The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    secretsmanager:UpdateSecret on the specific secret ARN

    Why it's wrong here

    UpdateSecret grants write/update capabilities to the secret. The scenario requires reading only, so granting update permissions increases risk if the function code or execution role is compromised.

  • ✗

    secretsmanager:DescribeSecret on all secrets (resource set to "*")

    Why it's wrong here

    DescribeSecret returns metadata about a secret (for example, name/rotation settings) and does not provide the secret value itself. Using "*" is also broader than required.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may confuse `ListSecrets` or `DescribeSecret` with `GetSecretValue`, thinking metadata retrieval is sufficient, or they may apply a broad resource scope ("*") instead of the specific ARN, violating the least-privilege principle that AWS emphasizes in the SAA-C03 exam.

Trap categories for this question

  • Scenario analysis trap

    UpdateSecret grants write/update capabilities to the secret. The scenario requires reading only, so granting update permissions increases risk if the function code or execution role is compromised.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, `GetSecretValue` calls the AWS Secrets Manager HTTPS API (e.g., `POST /secretsmanager/v1/secret/{SecretId}/value`) to retrieve the plaintext secret value, which is decrypted using the KMS key associated with the secret. A subtle behavior is that if the secret uses automatic rotation, `GetSecretValue` returns the current version (AWSCURRENT) by default, but you can specify a version stage or ID. In a real-world scenario, if the Lambda function is part of a microservice that needs database credentials at cold start, scoping to the specific secret ARN prevents it from accidentally reading other secrets (e.g., API keys) and reduces blast radius.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
  • Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
  • Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

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

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

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.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: secretsmanager:GetSecretValue on only the secret’s full ARN — The Lambda function needs to read the current value of exactly one secret at startup. The least-privilege permission is `secretsmanager:GetSecretValue` scoped to that secret's full ARN. This action retrieves the secret value, and restricting the resource to the specific ARN ensures the function cannot access any other secrets.

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

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026

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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.