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HashiCorp

VAULT-ASSOCIATE-002 · Question #91

Which statements correctly describe the command below. Choose TWO correct answers. vault write transit/decrypt/password \ ciphertext=vault:v1:8SDd3WHDOjf7mq69CyCqYjBXAiQQAVZRkFM13ok481zoCmHnSeD…

The correct answer is B. Returns base64-encoded plaintext C. Decrypts the ciphertext if the token permits. The vault write transit/decrypt/password command decrypts the provided ciphertext using the Transit secrets engine, returning the base64-encoded plaintext if the executing token has the necessary permissions.

Submitted by zhang_li· Apr 18, 2026Operate Vault

Question

Which statements correctly describe the command below. Choose TWO correct answers. vault write transit/decrypt/password \ ciphertext=vault:v1:8SDd3WHDOjf7mq69CyCqYjBXAiQQAVZRkFM13ok481zoCmHnSeD X9vyf7w==

Options

  • AReturns an error due to missing encryption key name
  • BReturns base64-encoded plaintext
  • CDecrypts the ciphertext if the token permits
  • DReturns the ciphertext
  • ERequires sudo capability on the transit/decrypt/password path

How the community answered

(43 responses)
  • A
    5% (2)
  • B
    70% (30)
  • D
    16% (7)
  • E
    9% (4)

Why each option

The `vault write transit/decrypt/password` command decrypts the provided ciphertext using the Transit secrets engine, returning the base64-encoded plaintext if the executing token has the necessary permissions.

AReturns an error due to missing encryption key name

The command does not return an error due to a missing encryption key name; the key name 'password' is correctly specified as part of the `transit/decrypt/password` path.

BReturns base64-encoded plaintextCorrect

The Transit secrets engine's decryption endpoint returns the decrypted content as a base64-encoded string, which is the plaintext representation of the original encrypted data.

CDecrypts the ciphertext if the token permitsCorrect

This command invokes the `transit/decrypt` endpoint, specifically using the encryption key named 'password' derived from the path. If the token used for execution has the appropriate capabilities (e.g., `update`) for this path, the ciphertext will be successfully decrypted.

DReturns the ciphertext

The command's purpose is to decrypt, so it returns the *plaintext* (base64-encoded), not the original ciphertext itself.

ERequires sudo capability on the transit/decrypt/password path

While `sudo` capability would grant permission, the standard capability required for `transit/decrypt` operations is `update` on the specified path, not necessarily `sudo`.

Concept tested: Vault Transit secrets engine decryption

Source: https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs/secrets/transit#decrypting-data

Topics

#Transit Secrets Engine#Decryption#Vault CLI#ACLs

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