VA-003 Compare authentication methods Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are valid authentication methods in HashiCorp Vault? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the distinction between authentication methods (how you prove identity to Vault) and secrets engines (how Vault generates or stores secrets), leading candidates to mistakenly select SSH or other secrets-engine-related options as authentication methods.
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
✓
GitHub
GitHub is a valid authentication method in HashiCorp Vault. It allows users to authenticate using their GitHub personal access tokens, which are mapped to Vault policies based on the user's team membership in a specified GitHub organization. This method is commonly used for integrating Vault with existing GitHub workflows.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
GitHub
Why this is correct
GitHub is a valid auth method.
- ✗
SAML
Why it's wrong here
SAML is not directly supported; OIDC is used.
- ✗
RADIUS
Why it's wrong here
RADIUS is not a built-in auth method.
- ✓
Cloud Foundry
Why this is correct
Cloud Foundry is a valid auth method.
- ✗
SSH
Why it's wrong here
SSH is a secrets engine, not an auth method.
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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.