- A
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why wrong: IAM is for access management, not storing secrets.
- B
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why wrong: KMS is for managing encryption keys, not secrets.
- C
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why wrong: Parameter Store can store secrets but does not provide built-in automatic rotation.
- D
AWS Secrets Manager
Secrets Manager supports automatic rotation of database credentials.
Question 1,304 of 1,748
SCS-C02 Infrastructure Security Practice Question
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 needs to securely store database credentials used by a Lambda function. The credentials must be automatically rotated. Which service should be used?
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
AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store, manage, and automatically rotate database credentials and other secrets throughout their lifecycle. It natively supports automatic rotation for Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB databases without requiring custom code, and it integrates directly with Lambda via the AWS SDK to retrieve secrets on demand.
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.
- ✗
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Why it's wrong here
IAM is for access management, not storing secrets.
- ✗
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
Why it's wrong here
KMS is for managing encryption keys, not secrets.
- ✗
AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store
Why it's wrong here
Parameter Store can store secrets but does not provide built-in automatic rotation.
- ✓
AWS Secrets Manager
Why this is correct
Secrets Manager supports automatic rotation of database credentials.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Parameter Store's SecureString parameter (which can store encrypted secrets) with Secrets Manager's automatic rotation feature, overlooking that Parameter Store does not natively rotate secrets.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Secrets Manager uses an integrated rotation function (a Lambda function) that updates the credential in both the secret and the target database, ensuring consistency. The service encrypts secrets at rest using KMS and enforces fine-grained access control via IAM policies, with support for automatic rotation schedules as low as every 30 days. In a real-world scenario, a multi-AZ RDS deployment with automatic failover would still have its credentials rotated seamlessly by Secrets Manager, preventing application downtime.
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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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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Infrastructure Security — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SCS-C02 question test?
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Secrets Manager — AWS Secrets Manager is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to securely store, manage, and automatically rotate database credentials and other secrets throughout their lifecycle. It natively supports automatic rotation for Amazon RDS, Redshift, and DocumentDB databases without requiring custom code, and it integrates directly with Lambda via the AWS SDK to retrieve secrets on demand.
What should I do if I get this SCS-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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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