HashiCorp Vault Interview Questions
What is HashiCorp Vault?
HashiCorp Vault is a tool for managing secrets. It can be used to store and manage sensitive data such as passwords, API keys, and certificates. Vault can be used to encrypt and decrypt data as well as generate and manage secrets.
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What are some examples of secrets that can be stored in a HashiCorp Vault?
Secrets that can be stored in a HashiCorp Vault include API keys, database passwords, and SSH keys.
What are dynamic secrets?
Dynamic secrets are secrets that are generated on demand, and then revoked when they are no longer needed. This is in contrast to static secrets, which are generated once and remain valid until they are explicitly revoked. Dynamic secrets are often used for sensitive data such as API keys, database passwords, etc.
Can you explain the architecture of a basic HashiCorp Vault deployment?
A HashiCorp Vault deployment typically consists of a single server, known as the “Vault Server”. This server is responsible for storing and managing the secrets stored in the HashiCorp Vault. Clients who want to access these secrets connect to the Vault server and authenticate using their credentials. Once authenticated, the client is able to access the secrets he or she is allowed to see.
How does HashiCorp Vault work?
Vault is a tool to manage secrets. It allows you to securely store, manage, and rotate secrets. Vault uses several technologies to achieve this, including encryption, dynamic secrets, and role-based access controls.
What are static secrets?
Static secrets are secrets that are stored in a file or database and are not rotated or changed. An example of a static secret would be a password that is used to access a database.
What are credential engines?
The credential engine is a type of secret engine used to generate dynamic credentials. These credentials can be used to access different systems and services, and can be rotated on a regular basis to help improve security.
What are Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) keys? How are they different from other keys?
TDE keys are used to encrypt data at rest, meaning they are used to encrypt data that is not currently being used or accessed. This is in contrast to other keys, which are used to encrypt data currently being used or accessed. TDE keys are typically used in conjunction with a database, to protect data stored in the database from being accessed by unauthorized persons.
What is an audit device?
An audit device is a piece of hardware or software that is used to monitor and record activity on a computer system. This information can be used to help improve security, troubleshoot problems, and track unauthorized activity.
What types of cryptographic algorithms are used with the HashiCorp Vault?
The HashiCorp Vault uses several different cryptographic algorithms to provide security to the data it stores. These include algorithms like SHA-256, AES-256, and ECDSA.
What happens when a user tries to log in to HashiCorp Vault using incorrect credentials?
When a user attempts to log in to the HashiCorp Vault using incorrect credentials, they will be denied access and receive an error message.
Can you tell me more about ACL?
ACLs, or access control lists, are a way to specify which users or groups can access which resources. In HashiCorp Vault, ACLs can be used to control access to secrets, keys, and other sensitive data. Each ACL contains a set of rules that determine who can access what.
What are the main components of Sentinel?
The main components of Sentinel are the policy engine, enforcement engine, and data store. The policy engine is responsible for evaluating policies against the data stored in the data store. The enforcement engine is responsible for taking actions on behalf of the policy engine, such as revoking a user’s access to a resource. The data store is where Sentinel stores its data, such as policies, user information, and resource information.
What is the difference between root token and child token?
Root tokens are the most powerful tokens in the HashiCorp Vault and have full access to all secrets stored in the Vault. Child tokens are created by the root token and can be given more limited access to secrets stored in the vault.
How many policies can be created in HashiCorp Vault?
There is no limit to the number of policies that can be created in the HashiCorp Vault.
What happens if someone tries to read a secret value without sufficient permissions?
If someone attempts to read a secret value without sufficient permissions, they will be denied access.
How does Vault Cluster work?
With multi-server mode, Vault provides high availability by running multiple Vault servers. If a node loses its data store connection, a lock can be placed on it so that a server remains as an active node. All other nodes become standby nodes.
What do you mean by sealing and opening the seal of a safe?
Vault stores encrypted data in a keyring. The keyring contains the encryption key of the data, which the vault needs to decrypt the data. The keyring itself is encrypted by the master key, and that key is stored separately from the keyring. In unsealing mode, the vault retrieves the master key and uses it to decrypt the keyring.
Can you explain what Vault Replication is?
Each Vault cluster is composed of a primary and multiple secondary clusters. Primary clusters replicate most of the data and act as a system of record. Secondary clusters asynchronously replicate data from the primary cluster and are followers or assistants to the leader cluster.
How would you define Walt’s verse?
You can configure a Nomad task to specify that it requires a token from the HashiCorp Vault server. Nomad will automatically retrieve a Vault token for the task, handle token renewals for the task, and verify that the group has enough Vault tokens available when running the task. If specified at the group level, the configuration applies to all tasks in the group.
What is the use of Vault Agent?
The Vault Agent provides a way to authenticate to Vault using the AWS authentication method and renew the token when it expires. Other times, it allows us to retrieve Vault secrets and represent them in a template file. Ultimately, it can renew the secrets if necessary.
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HashiCorp Vault Interview Questions
HashiCorp Vault Interview Questions
HashiCorp Vault Interview Questions HashiCorp Vault Interview Questions
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