diff --git a/changelog/16673.txt b/changelog/16673.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e632bfe47523
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/16673.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:bug
+plugin/secrets/auth: Fix a bug with aliased backends such as aws-ec2 or generic
+```
diff --git a/vault/auth.go b/vault/auth.go
index 14685a2b6de3..5f5762da18c8 100644
--- a/vault/auth.go
+++ b/vault/auth.go
@@ -911,12 +911,12 @@ func (c *Core) newCredentialBackend(ctx context.Context, entry *MountEntry, sysV
 
 	f, ok := c.credentialBackends[t]
 	if !ok {
-		plug, err := c.pluginCatalog.Get(ctx, entry.Type, consts.PluginTypeCredential)
+		plug, err := c.pluginCatalog.Get(ctx, t, consts.PluginTypeCredential)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		if plug == nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", ErrPluginNotFound, entry.Type)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", ErrPluginNotFound, t)
 		}
 
 		f = plugin.Factory
diff --git a/vault/auth_test.go b/vault/auth_test.go
index 5c9e4479025a..1ecf0495588f 100644
--- a/vault/auth_test.go
+++ b/vault/auth_test.go
@@ -220,6 +220,65 @@ func TestCore_EnableCredential(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestCore_EnableCredential_aws_ec2 tests that we can successfully mount aws
+// auth using the alias "aws-ec2"
+func TestCore_EnableCredential_aws_ec2(t *testing.T) {
+	c, keys, _ := TestCoreUnsealed(t)
+	c.credentialBackends["aws"] = func(context.Context, *logical.BackendConfig) (logical.Backend, error) {
+		return &NoopBackend{
+			BackendType: logical.TypeCredential,
+		}, nil
+	}
+
+	me := &MountEntry{
+		Table: credentialTableType,
+		Path:  "foo",
+		Type:  "aws-ec2",
+	}
+	err := c.enableCredential(namespace.RootContext(nil), me)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	match := c.router.MatchingMount(namespace.RootContext(nil), "auth/foo/bar")
+	if match != "auth/foo/" {
+		t.Fatalf("missing mount, match: %q", match)
+	}
+
+	inmemSink := metrics.NewInmemSink(1000000*time.Hour, 2000000*time.Hour)
+	conf := &CoreConfig{
+		Physical:        c.physical,
+		DisableMlock:    true,
+		BuiltinRegistry: NewMockBuiltinRegistry(),
+		MetricSink:      metricsutil.NewClusterMetricSink("test-cluster", inmemSink),
+		MetricsHelper:   metricsutil.NewMetricsHelper(inmemSink, false),
+	}
+	c2, err := NewCore(conf)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer c2.Shutdown()
+	c2.credentialBackends["noop"] = func(context.Context, *logical.BackendConfig) (logical.Backend, error) {
+		return &NoopBackend{
+			BackendType: logical.TypeCredential,
+		}, nil
+	}
+	for i, key := range keys {
+		unseal, err := TestCoreUnseal(c2, key)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+		}
+		if i+1 == len(keys) && !unseal {
+			t.Fatalf("should be unsealed")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Verify matching auth tables
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(c.auth, c2.auth) {
+		t.Fatalf("mismatch: %v %v", c.auth, c2.auth)
+	}
+}
+
 // Test that the local table actually gets populated as expected with local
 // entries, and that upon reading the entries from both are recombined
 // correctly
diff --git a/vault/mount.go b/vault/mount.go
index db2d50b5bcf5..06671ba99ae3 100644
--- a/vault/mount.go
+++ b/vault/mount.go
@@ -1419,12 +1419,12 @@ func (c *Core) newLogicalBackend(ctx context.Context, entry *MountEntry, sysView
 
 	f, ok := c.logicalBackends[t]
 	if !ok {
-		plug, err := c.pluginCatalog.Get(ctx, entry.Type, consts.PluginTypeSecrets)
+		plug, err := c.pluginCatalog.Get(ctx, t, consts.PluginTypeSecrets)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		if plug == nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", ErrPluginNotFound, entry.Type)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", ErrPluginNotFound, t)
 		}
 
 		f = plugin.Factory
diff --git a/vault/mount_test.go b/vault/mount_test.go
index 1462d475d9c9..523d064068b7 100644
--- a/vault/mount_test.go
+++ b/vault/mount_test.go
@@ -187,6 +187,54 @@ func TestCore_Mount(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestCore_Mount_kv_generic tests that we can successfully mount kv using the
+// kv alias "generic"
+func TestCore_Mount_kv_generic(t *testing.T) {
+	c, keys, _ := TestCoreUnsealed(t)
+	me := &MountEntry{
+		Table: mountTableType,
+		Path:  "foo",
+		Type:  "generic",
+	}
+	err := c.mount(namespace.RootContext(nil), me)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	match := c.router.MatchingMount(namespace.RootContext(nil), "foo/bar")
+	if match != "foo/" {
+		t.Fatalf("missing mount")
+	}
+
+	inmemSink := metrics.NewInmemSink(1000000*time.Hour, 2000000*time.Hour)
+	conf := &CoreConfig{
+		Physical:        c.physical,
+		DisableMlock:    true,
+		BuiltinRegistry: NewMockBuiltinRegistry(),
+		MetricSink:      metricsutil.NewClusterMetricSink("test-cluster", inmemSink),
+		MetricsHelper:   metricsutil.NewMetricsHelper(inmemSink, false),
+	}
+	c2, err := NewCore(conf)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer c2.Shutdown()
+	for i, key := range keys {
+		unseal, err := TestCoreUnseal(c2, key)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+		}
+		if i+1 == len(keys) && !unseal {
+			t.Fatalf("should be unsealed")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Verify matching mount tables
+	if diff := deep.Equal(c.mounts.sortEntriesByPath(), c2.mounts.sortEntriesByPath()); len(diff) > 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("mismatch: %v", diff)
+	}
+}
+
 // Test that the local table actually gets populated as expected with local
 // entries, and that upon reading the entries from both are recombined
 // correctly
diff --git a/vault/testing.go b/vault/testing.go
index ee275f9a8930..7a9246090a5c 100644
--- a/vault/testing.go
+++ b/vault/testing.go
@@ -2166,6 +2166,7 @@ func NewMockBuiltinRegistry() *mockBuiltinRegistry {
 			"mysql-database-plugin":      consts.PluginTypeDatabase,
 			"postgresql-database-plugin": consts.PluginTypeDatabase,
 			"approle":                    consts.PluginTypeCredential,
+			"aws":                        consts.PluginTypeCredential,
 		},
 	}
 }
@@ -2188,6 +2189,15 @@ func (m *mockBuiltinRegistry) Get(name string, pluginType consts.PluginType) (fu
 		return toFunc(approle.Factory), true
 	}
 
+	if name == "aws" {
+		return toFunc(func(ctx context.Context, config *logical.BackendConfig) (logical.Backend, error) {
+			b := new(framework.Backend)
+			b.Setup(ctx, config)
+			b.BackendType = logical.TypeCredential
+			return b, nil
+		}), true
+	}
+
 	if name == "postgresql-database-plugin" {
 		return toFunc(func(ctx context.Context, config *logical.BackendConfig) (logical.Backend, error) {
 			b := new(framework.Backend)