diff --git a/api/kyverno/v1/spec_types.go b/api/kyverno/v1/spec_types.go
index ffb86afe63..981c231b53 100644
--- a/api/kyverno/v1/spec_types.go
+++ b/api/kyverno/v1/spec_types.go
@@ -132,6 +132,15 @@ func (s *Spec) BackgroundProcessingEnabled() bool {
 	return *s.Background
 }
 
+// GetValidationFailureAction returns the validation failure action to be applied
+func (s *Spec) GetValidationFailureAction() ValidationFailureAction {
+	if s.ValidationFailureAction == "" {
+		return Audit
+	}
+
+	return s.ValidationFailureAction
+}
+
 // ValidateRuleNames checks if the rule names are unique across a policy
 func (s *Spec) ValidateRuleNames(path *field.Path) (errs field.ErrorList) {
 	names := sets.NewString()
diff --git a/pkg/engine/validation.go b/pkg/engine/validation.go
index a6588014c1..6c58f9cae3 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/validation.go
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ func buildResponse(ctx *PolicyContext, resp *response.EngineResponse, startTime
 	resp.PolicyResponse.Resource.Namespace = resp.PatchedResource.GetNamespace()
 	resp.PolicyResponse.Resource.Kind = resp.PatchedResource.GetKind()
 	resp.PolicyResponse.Resource.APIVersion = resp.PatchedResource.GetAPIVersion()
-	resp.PolicyResponse.ValidationFailureAction = ctx.Policy.GetSpec().ValidationFailureAction
+	resp.PolicyResponse.ValidationFailureAction = ctx.Policy.GetSpec().GetValidationFailureAction()
 
 	for _, v := range ctx.Policy.GetSpec().ValidationFailureActionOverrides {
 		resp.PolicyResponse.ValidationFailureActionOverrides = append(resp.PolicyResponse.ValidationFailureActionOverrides, response.ValidationFailureActionOverride{Action: v.Action, Namespaces: v.Namespaces})
diff --git a/pkg/metrics/policychanges/policyChanges.go b/pkg/metrics/policychanges/policyChanges.go
index 8bc3516499..e278e4337b 100644
--- a/pkg/metrics/policychanges/policyChanges.go
+++ b/pkg/metrics/policychanges/policyChanges.go
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func (pc PromConfig) registerPolicyChangesMetric(
 func (pc PromConfig) RegisterPolicy(policy interface{}, policyChangeType PolicyChangeType) error {
 	switch inputPolicy := policy.(type) {
 	case *kyverno.ClusterPolicy:
-		policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.ValidationFailureAction)
+		policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.GetValidationFailureAction())
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ func (pc PromConfig) RegisterPolicy(policy interface{}, policyChangeType PolicyC
 		}
 		return nil
 	case *kyverno.Policy:
-		policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.ValidationFailureAction)
+		policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.GetValidationFailureAction())
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/metrics/policyexecutionduration/policyExecutionDuration.go b/pkg/metrics/policyexecutionduration/policyExecutionDuration.go
index ef6b612207..739a970386 100644
--- a/pkg/metrics/policyexecutionduration/policyExecutionDuration.go
+++ b/pkg/metrics/policyexecutionduration/policyExecutionDuration.go
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ func (pc PromConfig) registerPolicyExecutionDurationMetric(
 //engineResponse - resource and rule related data
 func (pc PromConfig) ProcessEngineResponse(policy kyverno.PolicyInterface, engineResponse response.EngineResponse, executionCause metrics.RuleExecutionCause, generateRuleLatencyType string, resourceRequestOperation metrics.ResourceRequestOperation) error {
 
-	policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(policy.GetSpec().ValidationFailureAction)
+	policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(policy.GetSpec().GetValidationFailureAction())
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/metrics/policyresults/policyResults.go b/pkg/metrics/policyresults/policyResults.go
index 71b07e4bf9..d5796d1993 100644
--- a/pkg/metrics/policyresults/policyResults.go
+++ b/pkg/metrics/policyresults/policyResults.go
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func (pc PromConfig) registerPolicyResultsMetric(
 //policy - policy related data
 //engineResponse - resource and rule related data
 func (pc PromConfig) ProcessEngineResponse(policy kyverno.PolicyInterface, engineResponse response.EngineResponse, executionCause metrics.RuleExecutionCause, resourceRequestOperation metrics.ResourceRequestOperation) error {
-	policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(policy.GetSpec().ValidationFailureAction)
+	policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(policy.GetSpec().GetValidationFailureAction())
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/metrics/policyruleinfo/policyRuleInfo.go b/pkg/metrics/policyruleinfo/policyRuleInfo.go
index c2bb885c2e..2fe70d20ca 100644
--- a/pkg/metrics/policyruleinfo/policyRuleInfo.go
+++ b/pkg/metrics/policyruleinfo/policyRuleInfo.go
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func (pc PromConfig) registerPolicyRuleInfoMetric(
 func (pc PromConfig) AddPolicy(policy interface{}) error {
 	switch inputPolicy := policy.(type) {
 	case *kyverno.ClusterPolicy:
-		policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.ValidationFailureAction)
+		policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.GetValidationFailureAction())
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ func (pc PromConfig) AddPolicy(policy interface{}) error {
 		}
 		return nil
 	case *kyverno.Policy:
-		policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.ValidationFailureAction)
+		policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.GetValidationFailureAction())
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ func (pc PromConfig) RemovePolicy(policy interface{}) error {
 	switch inputPolicy := policy.(type) {
 	case *kyverno.ClusterPolicy:
 		for _, rule := range autogen.ComputeRules(inputPolicy) {
-			policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.ValidationFailureAction)
+			policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.GetValidationFailureAction())
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ func (pc PromConfig) RemovePolicy(policy interface{}) error {
 		return nil
 	case *kyverno.Policy:
 		for _, rule := range autogen.ComputeRules(inputPolicy) {
-			policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.ValidationFailureAction)
+			policyValidationMode, err := metrics.ParsePolicyValidationMode(inputPolicy.Spec.GetValidationFailureAction())
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/policy/metrics.go b/pkg/policy/metrics.go
index ec8939b4e3..3730b76736 100644
--- a/pkg/policy/metrics.go
+++ b/pkg/policy/metrics.go
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func (pc *PolicyController) registerPolicyChangesMetricUpdatePolicy(logger logr.
 		logger.Error(err, "error occurred while registering kyverno_policy_changes_total metrics for the above policy's updation", "name", oldP.GetName())
 	}
 	// curP will require a new kyverno_policy_changes_total metric if the above update involved change in the following fields:
-	if curSpec.Background != oldSpec.Background || curSpec.ValidationFailureAction != oldSpec.ValidationFailureAction {
+	if curSpec.Background != oldSpec.Background || curSpec.GetValidationFailureAction() != oldSpec.GetValidationFailureAction() {
 		err = policyChangesMetric.ParsePromConfig(*pc.promConfig).RegisterPolicy(curP, policyChangesMetric.PolicyUpdated)
 		if err != nil {
 			logger.Error(err, "error occurred while registering kyverno_policy_changes_total metrics for the above policy's updation", "name", curP.GetName())
diff --git a/pkg/policycache/policy_map.go b/pkg/policycache/policy_map.go
index 910c9b92bc..e18390d8d0 100644
--- a/pkg/policycache/policy_map.go
+++ b/pkg/policycache/policy_map.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func (m *pMap) add(policy kyverno.PolicyInterface) {
 	defer m.lock.Unlock()
 
 	spec := policy.GetSpec()
-	enforcePolicy := spec.ValidationFailureAction == kyverno.Enforce
+	enforcePolicy := spec.GetValidationFailureAction() == kyverno.Enforce
 	for _, k := range spec.ValidationFailureActionOverrides {
 		if k.Action == kyverno.Enforce {
 			enforcePolicy = true