The correct answer is to use the AWS Secrets and Configuration Provider (ASCP) for the Secrets Store CSI Driver to inject secrets into pods, combined with IAM Roles for Service Accounts (IRSA). This approach works because IRSA allows each pod to assume a specific IAM role via OIDC federation, granting fine-grained, temporary credentials to access Secrets Manager without embedding long-term secrets in the cluster. The ASCP then mounts those rotated secrets directly into the pod’s filesystem, ensuring automatic rotation and full auditability through CloudTrail. On the SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of integrating AWS managed services with Kubernetes identity—a common trap is choosing static secrets in ConfigMaps or using node-level IAM roles, which break least-privilege and rotation requirements. Remember the key chain: IRSA for pod identity, CSI driver for injection, and Secrets Manager for rotation. A useful memory tip is “IRSA + CSI = Rotate and Audit,” linking identity, injection, and auditing in one flow.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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. 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 company is designing a new containerized application on Amazon EKS. The application must be able to access secrets (e.g., database credentials) securely. The company requires that secrets be automatically rotated and audited. Which THREE actions should the company take to meet these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use IAM roles for service accounts (IRSA) to grant pods access to Secrets Manager
Option B is correct because IAM Roles for Service Accounts (IRSA) allows pods in Amazon EKS to assume an IAM role with fine-grained permissions, enabling secure access to AWS Secrets Manager without embedding long-term credentials. This approach integrates with AWS IAM to provide temporary credentials via OIDC federation, ensuring that only authorized pods can retrieve 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.
✗
Mount the Secrets Store CSI Driver volume directly to the pod without using ASCP
Why it's wrong here
ASCP is recommended for integration with Secrets Manager.
✓
Use IAM roles for service accounts (IRSA) to grant pods access to Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
IRSA provides fine-grained permissions for pods.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Store secrets in AWS Secrets Manager and enable automatic rotation
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager supports automatic rotation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use the AWS Secrets and Configuration Provider (ASCP) for the Secrets Store CSI Driver to inject secrets into pods
Why this is correct
ASCP injects secrets securely into pods.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Store secrets in Kubernetes Secrets and use a ConfigMap to reference them
Why it's wrong here
Kubernetes Secrets are not automatically rotated and are less secure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think mounting the CSI driver without ASCP (Option A) is sufficient, but ASCP is the critical component that bridges the CSI driver to AWS Secrets Manager, and without it, the driver cannot retrieve secrets from AWS.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Secrets Store CSI Driver with ASCP uses a SecretProviderClass custom resource to define which secrets to mount from AWS Secrets Manager. Under the hood, ASCP calls the Secrets Manager API using the pod's IRSA credentials, and the driver mounts the secret as a volume (e.g., tmpfs) that is ephemeral and tied to the pod's lifecycle. Automatic rotation is handled by enabling rotation in Secrets Manager, which creates a Lambda function to update the secret; the CSI driver can be configured to poll for changes or use a sync interval to refresh the mounted secret.
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.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use IAM roles for service accounts (IRSA) to grant pods access to Secrets Manager — Option B is correct because IAM Roles for Service Accounts (IRSA) allows pods in Amazon EKS to assume an IAM role with fine-grained permissions, enabling secure access to AWS Secrets Manager without embedding long-term credentials. This approach integrates with AWS IAM to provide temporary credentials via OIDC federation, ensuring that only authorized pods can retrieve secrets.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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