VA-003 Explain Vault architecture Practice Question
A Vault administrator wants to ensure that all secrets are encrypted at rest and in transit. Which two configurations are necessary? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse encrypting audit logs (option D) with encrypting secrets at rest. Audit device encryption protects audit logs only, not the secrets themselves.
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 TLS on all Vault listener configurations.
Enabling TLS on all Vault listener configurations ensures that data is encrypted in transit between clients and the Vault server, protecting against eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks. Option C is correct because using a seal that provides envelope encryption (e.g., Auto Unseal with a cloud KMS) encrypts the master key and storage backend data, ensuring secrets are encrypted at rest. Together, these two configurations satisfy the requirement for encryption both in transit (TLS) and at rest (seal envelope encryption).
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 the `VAULT_ENCRYPT` environment variable on the Vault server.
Why it's wrong here
No such environment variable.
- ✓
Enable TLS on all Vault listener configurations.
Why this is correct
TLS encrypts data in transit.
- ✓
Use a seal that provides envelope encryption for the storage backend.
Why this is correct
Seal encrypts data at rest.
- ✗
Set the `encrypt` parameter on the audit device configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Audit encryption is optional.
- ✗
Configure a storage backend that supports encryption at rest, such as Integrated Storage.
Why it's wrong here
Integrated Storage does not encrypt at rest without seal.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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