Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon Cognito Identity Pools (Federated Identities). This service is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to exchange authenticated user tokens from identity providers—such as Google, Facebook, or Amazon—for temporary AWS security credentials that grant fine-grained access to resources like S3 or DynamoDB. On the AWS Certified Security Specialty SCS-C02 exam, this question tests your understanding of how to securely manage mobile app access without embedding long-term keys, often appearing as a scenario where you must distinguish between user authentication and authorization. A common trap is confusing Cognito User Pools (which handle sign-up and sign-in as a user directory) with Identity Pools (which issue the temporary credentials). Remember the memory tip: “Pools for permissions, User Pools for passwords”—Identity Pools provide the temporary keys, while User Pools manage the user directory.
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. 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 wants to provide temporary security credentials to users accessing AWS resources from a mobile app. Which AWS service should they use?
AWS Signer
Why wrong: Signer is for code signing.
AWS Directory Service
Why wrong: Directory Service is for managing Microsoft AD.
Amazon Cognito Identity Pools (Federated Identities)
Cognito Identity Pools issue temporary AWS credentials.
AWS IAM roles for cross-account access
Why wrong: IAM roles are for cross-account, not for mobile apps.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon Cognito Identity Pools (Federated Identities)
AWS Cognito Identity Pools provide temporary credentials for authenticated users. Option A is correct. Option B is for identity federation with external providers. Option C is for managing user directories. Option D is for signing requests.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Signer
Why it's wrong here
Signer is for code signing.
AWS Directory Service
Why it's wrong here
Directory Service is for managing Microsoft AD.
Amazon Cognito Identity Pools (Federated Identities)
Why this is correct
Cognito Identity Pools issue temporary AWS credentials.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS IAM roles for cross-account access
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles are for cross-account, not for mobile apps.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon Cognito Identity Pools (Federated Identities) — AWS Cognito Identity Pools provide temporary credentials for authenticated users. Option A is correct. Option B is for identity federation with external providers. Option C is for managing user directories. Option D is for signing requests.
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This SCS-C02 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 SCS-C02 exam.
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