SCS-C02 Identity and Access Management Practice Question
Which TWO are characteristics of an IAM role? (Choose 2.)
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
✓
It does not have long-term access keys.
IAM roles do not have long-term access keys; they provide temporary security credentials when assumed. Option D is correct because roles provide temporary security credentials through AWS STS. Option A is incorrect because while a role can be used by an AWS service, it still requires an entity (user, service, or application) to assume it—a role is not 'without a user.' Option C is incorrect because roles can have attached permissions policies that define what actions are allowed. Option E is incorrect because a role is not tied to a specific IAM user; it can be assumed by multiple users, services, or federated identities.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It can be used to grant permissions to an AWS service without requiring a user.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because while an IAM role can be used to grant permissions to an AWS service, it must be assumed by an entity (user, service, or application). The statement 'without requiring a user' is misleading; a role still requires an entity to assume it.
- ✓
It does not have long-term access keys.
Why this is correct
An IAM role has no embedded long-term credentials such as static IAM user access keys. Instead, it contains a trust policy and permission policies, and when an entity assumes the role, AWS STS issues temporary credentials — an access key ID, a secret access key, and a session token — that expire after a configurable duration between 15 minutes and 12 hours.
- ✗
It cannot have an attached permissions policy.
Why it's wrong here
A role is not prohibited from having permissions policies; in fact, roles commonly have identity-based permissions policies attached that specify the actions, resources, and conditions the role's session may use. The distinguishing feature of a role is not lack of permissions policies but the dynamic, temporary nature of its credentials and the trust policy controlling assumption.
- ✓
It provides temporary security credentials.
Why this is correct
When an entity assumes an IAM role, AWS STS dynamically generates temporary security credentials for that session. These temporary credentials consist of an access key ID, a secret access key, and a session token, and they automatically expire, which eliminates the risk of long-term key exposure that exists with IAM user access keys.
- ✗
It is associated with a specific IAM user.
Why it's wrong here
IAM roles are not associated with a specific IAM user. They are stand-alone identities designed to be assumed by any authorized principal — an IAM user, an IAM role through role chaining, an AWS service, or an external federated identity — as long as the role's trust policy grants that principal sts:AssumeRole permission.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.