Temporary security credentials are short-lived AWS credentials issued for a limited time, usually through an IAM role or AWS Security Token Service. Unlike long-term access keys, they expire automatically, which reduces the window in which a stolen secret can be reused.
They matter because many cloud attacks rely on finding valid credentials that keep working until someone revokes them. Temporary credentials make that harder: if an attacker captures them, the access ends on its own. Defenders use them for automation, cross-account access, and workloads that should not store static secrets. They are strongest when combined with least privilege, logging, and role-based access rather than embedded keys in code or configuration.