VA-003 Compare and configure secrets engines Practice Question
A company wants to use Vault to generate IAM users dynamically for each application, following the principle of least privilege. Which secrets engine configuration should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the distinction between dynamic user creation ('iam_user') and temporary credential generation ('federation_token' or 'assumed_role'), where candidates mistakenly choose 'assumed_role' because it is commonly used for temporary access, but it does not create per-application IAM users for granular isolation.
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
✓
Enable AWS engine with a dedicated IAM user (limited permissions) and use 'iam_user' credential type
The AWS secrets engine can be configured with a dedicated IAM user that has limited permissions, and by using the 'iam_user' credential type, Vault dynamically creates a new IAM user for each application. This approach adheres to the principle of least privilege by ensuring each application gets a unique set of credentials scoped to its specific needs, without sharing or reusing static keys.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable AWS engine with a dedicated IAM user (limited permissions) and use 'iam_user' credential type
Why this is correct
This follows least privilege and generates IAM users dynamically.
- ✗
Enable AWS engine with a root IAM user and use 'federation_token' credential type
Why it's wrong here
Root IAM user violates least privilege and federation_token generates STS tokens, not IAM users.
- ✗
Enable AWS engine with a static access key and use 'iam_user' credential type
Why it's wrong here
Static access key is not best practice; the engine should use an IAM user with limited permissions.
- ✗
Enable AWS engine with an IAM role and use 'assumed_role' credential type
Why it's wrong here
Assumed_role generates STS credentials, not IAM users.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This VA-003 practice question is part of Courseiva's free HashiCorp 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 VA-003 exam.