VA-003 Assess Vault tokens Practice Question
A token with a policy that explicitly denies 'read' on 'secret/engineering/private' is issued. The same token also has another policy that grants 'read' on 'secret/engineering/*'. What is the result when the token tries to read 'secret/engineering/private'?
⚠ Common exam trap
Vault uses a deny-overrides model: any explicit deny on a specific path takes precedence over any allow, even if the allow is more permissive or from a wildcard. The explicit deny on 'secret/engineering/private' blocks the read, regardless of the broader grant on 'secret/engineering/*'.
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 read fails because the explicit deny on the specific path takes precedence
D is correct because Vault's policy evaluation uses a deny-overrides model: any explicit deny on a specific path takes precedence over any allow, even if the allow is more permissive or from a wildcard. The explicit deny on 'secret/engineering/private' blocks the read, regardless of the broader grant on 'secret/engineering/*'.
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 read succeeds because the grant from the wildcard policy is more permissive
Why it's wrong here
Explicit deny overrides any grant.
- ✗
The read fails because the policies conflict and Vault defaults to deny
Why it's wrong here
Vault does not default to deny on conflict; it evaluates explicit denies first.
- ✗
The read succeeds because the token has a separate policy that grants read
Why it's wrong here
The grant is overridden by the explicit deny.
- ✓
The read fails because the explicit deny on the specific path takes precedence
Why this is correct
Vault's ACL model gives deny precedence over allow.
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