VA-003 Create Vault policies Practice Question
A DevOps team has configured a Vault policy to allow reading secrets from the 'secret/data/engineering' path. The policy contains:
path "secret/data/engineering/*" { capabilities = ["read", "list"]
}
However, when a user attempts to read a secret at 'secret/data/engineering/db/password', they receive a permission denied error. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The Vault exam often tests the subtle distinction between single and double asterisks in Vault policy path matching, exploiting the common misconception that `*` matches any number of nested sub-paths, when in fact it only matches within a single path segment.
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
✓
The policy uses a single asterisk, which does not match nested paths; it should use double asterisk or specify the exact path.
In Vault's policy path matching, a single asterisk (`*`) matches only a single level of the path, not nested sub-paths. The path `secret/data/engineering/*` matches `secret/data/engineering/foo` but does NOT match `secret/data/engineering/db/password` because the latter has an additional sub-path level. To match all nested paths, you must use a double asterisk (`**`) or explicitly list the full path. This is a common pitfall when writing Vault policies for hierarchical secret structures.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The policy uses a single asterisk, which does not match nested paths; it should use double asterisk or specify the exact path.
Why this is correct
A single * does not cross directory boundaries in path matching.
- ✗
The policy lacks the 'deny' capability to override the default deny.
Why it's wrong here
'deny' is not a valid capability in Vault policies.
- ✗
The secret engine's mount path is different; it is mounted at 'secret/' but the policy expects 'secret/data/'.
Why it's wrong here
The path 'secret/data/engineering/*' is correct for KV v2 mounted at 'secret/'.
- ✗
The user's token does not have the correct identity policies attached.
Why it's wrong here
While possible, the most likely cause is the path pattern issue.
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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.