VA-003 Utilize Vault CLI and API Practice Question
A user receives 'permission denied' when running 'vault write secret/data/myapp value=123'. The user's token has a policy that includes 'path "secret/data/*" { capabilities = ["read", "list"] }'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the distinction between capabilities required for different operations (read/list vs. create/update/delete), leading candidates to assume that any valid token with any capabilities on the path can write, when in fact the policy must explicitly include 'create' or 'update'.
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 path requires create or update capability.
The user's policy grants only 'read' and 'list' capabilities on the path 'secret/data/*'. The 'vault write' command requires either 'create' or 'update' capability (or both) on the path. Since the policy lacks these capabilities, Vault returns a 'permission denied' error, even though the token is valid and the secret engine is mounted.
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 user is not authenticated.
Why it's wrong here
Authentication failures produce a distinct 'permission denied' only after token validation; an unauthenticated request typically errors earlier, and the stem already describes a token bearing a policy. Authentication is tempting as a first check, but the policy's read/list capabilities plainly exclude the 'create' or 'update' needed for the write.
- ✓
The path requires create or update capability.
Why this is correct
Writing to secret/data/myapp creates or updates data, which requires the create or update capability. The token's policy grants only read and list on that path, so Vault denies the write despite the path matching correctly.
- ✗
The secret engine is not mounted.
Why it's wrong here
An unmounted secrets engine returns a 404 'no handler for route' error, not 'permission denied'. Mount status is tempting to check first, but the explicit denial indicates Vault reached the path and the token's policy lacked the 'create' or 'update' capability that 'vault write' requires.
- ✗
The token is expired.
Why it's wrong here
An expired token yields 'permission denied' with a message about the token being expired or invalid, and the stem gives no expiry context. Expiry is tempting because it commonly causes denials, but the policy shown grants only read and list, so the write fails on capability, not token lifetime.
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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.