Learn why IAM access keys and secrets are essential for authentication when accessing AWS services from on-premises applications. Prepare for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam with this detailed explanation.
Table of Contents
Question
An IT engineer needs to access AWS services from an on-premises application. What credentials or keys does the application need for authentication?
A. AWS account username and password
B. IAM access key and secret
C. Amazon EC2 key pairs
D. AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) keys
Answer
B. IAM access key and secret
Explanation
IAM access keys are long-term credentials that consist of an access key ID and a secret access key. You use access keys to sign programmatic requests that you make to AWS. If you need to access AWS services from an on-premises application, you can use IAM access keys to authenticate your requests.
When an on-premises application needs to interact with AWS services, authentication is required to ensure secure access. Among the provided options, the correct method is using IAM access keys and secret keys. Here’s why:
IAM Access Key and Secret Key (Correct Answer)
What They Are: IAM access keys consist of an Access Key ID (like a username) and a Secret Access Key (like a password). These credentials are used to sign programmatic requests made to AWS APIs.
Why They Are Used: They allow secure, programmatic access to AWS services from any location, including on-premises environments. This is particularly useful for machine-to-machine communication where no human interaction is involved.
Best Practices:
- Avoid hardcoding these keys in your application code.
- Use environment variables or secure storage solutions like AWS Secrets Manager to manage them safely.
- Rotate keys regularly to minimize security risks.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect
A. AWS account username and password:
These credentials are used for human interaction with the AWS Management Console, not for programmatic access.
Sharing account passwords is against best practices because it violates the principle of least privilege.
C. Amazon EC2 key pairs:
EC2 key pairs are used for SSH authentication to log into EC2 instances, not for accessing AWS services programmatically.
D. AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) keys:
KMS keys are encryption keys used for data encryption and decryption within AWS services. They do not serve as authentication credentials.
Additional Considerations
For enhanced security, you can use advanced methods like:
- IAM Roles Anywhere: This feature allows on-premises applications to exchange X.509 certificates for temporary credentials, avoiding long-lived access keys.
- AWS Systems Manager (SSM): If your on-premises server has the SSM agent installed, you can use it to securely retrieve temporary credentials from AWS.
By understanding these concepts, you’ll be better prepared for questions related to authentication in the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam.
Amazon AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Amazon AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam and earn Amazon AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 certification.