VA-003 Explain encryption as a service Practice Question
A compliance requirement states that encryption keys must be automatically rotated every 90 days. Which Vault feature can be used to enforce this?
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the distinction between automatic rotation enforcement (`auto_rotate`) and manual or policy-based controls (`min_decryption_version`, periodic tokens), leading candidates to confuse decryption version management with rotation scheduling.
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
✓
Setting `auto_rotate` on the transit key
The Vault Transit Secrets Engine supports an `auto_rotate` parameter that can be set on a key to enforce automatic rotation every 90 days. When enabled, Vault automatically rotates the encryption key at the specified interval without manual intervention, directly meeting the compliance requirement for automated 90-day rotation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Setting `auto_rotate` on the transit key
Why this is correct
The `auto_rotate_period` parameter on a transit key enables automatic rotation.
- ✗
Using Vault's cron-like scheduler
Why it's wrong here
Vault does not have a built-in scheduler.
- ✗
Periodic rotation using the transit engine's `min_decryption_version`
Why it's wrong here
This setting controls which versions can decrypt, not rotation timing.
- ✗
Key rotation schedule policy
Why it's wrong here
No such policy exists in Vault.
- ✗
Using a periodic token to call the rotate endpoint
Why it's wrong here
This is a manual approach; not a built-in feature.
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JA
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.