200-901 Application Deployment and Security Practice Question
This 200-901 practice question tests your understanding of application deployment and security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
An organization uses Ansible for configuration management and wants to secure the automation secrets (e.g., SSH keys, API tokens). The secrets are currently stored in plaintext in inventory files. The security team requires that secrets be encrypted at rest and decrypted only at runtime by authorized users. Which solution should be implemented?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Ansible Vault to encrypt sensitive variables in the inventory files
Ansible Vault is the built-in tool for encrypting sensitive data such as passwords, API tokens, and SSH keys at rest. It encrypts variables or entire files using AES-256, and decryption occurs only at runtime when the correct vault password is provided, meeting the requirement that secrets are decrypted only by authorized users.
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.
✗
Store secrets in an encrypted SSH key file and use it for authentication
Why it's wrong here
SSH keys are for authentication, not for storing arbitrary secrets.
✗
Set strict file permissions (0600) on the inventory files to limit access
Why it's wrong here
File permissions do not protect secrets from being read by processes running as the owner or root.
✗
Use environment variables to pass secrets at runtime
Why it's wrong here
Environment variables can be visible in process information and logs, and are not encrypted at rest.
✓
Use Ansible Vault to encrypt sensitive variables in the inventory files
Why this is correct
Ansible Vault encrypts data and only decrypts it when the vault password is provided, securing secrets at rest.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between access control (file permissions) and encryption at rest, leading candidates to mistakenly choose strict permissions as sufficient for securing secrets, when encryption is required to protect data from unauthorized access even if the file system is compromised.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Ansible Vault uses the `ansible-vault` command-line tool to encrypt data with a symmetric key derived from a password, employing AES-256-CTR mode with a random initialization vector. The encrypted data is stored as a YAML string with a header indicating the vault version and cipher, and decryption occurs only when the vault password is supplied via `--ask-vault-pass`, a password file, or an external secret manager. In real-world CI/CD pipelines, vault passwords are often retrieved from HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager to avoid hardcoding the vault password itself.
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 practitioner preparing for the 200-901 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
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.
Application Deployment and Security — This question tests Application Deployment and Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Ansible Vault to encrypt sensitive variables in the inventory files — Ansible Vault is the built-in tool for encrypting sensitive data such as passwords, API tokens, and SSH keys at rest. It encrypts variables or entire files using AES-256, and decryption occurs only at runtime when the correct vault password is provided, meeting the requirement that secrets are decrypted only by authorized users.
What should I do if I get this 200-901 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.
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Question Discussion
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