Google Updated Professional-Cloud-Security-Engineer Exam Questions and Answers by ayrton

To ensure servers do not have any direct communication with the public internet, they must be configured without a public IP address.

VPC and Private Subnet: A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) network provides the isolated, internal network structure. A subnet is the logical partition within the VPC.

Private IP Address: Assigning only a private IP address to the database servers ensures they can only communicate internally within the VPC (or connected on-premises networks) and cannot directly connect to or be connected from the public internet.

Extracts:

"Resources in a VPC network can be assigned two types of IP addresses: internal (private) and external (public). If a VM is not assigned an external IP address, it can only communicate internally with other resources in the VPC network..." (Source 6.1)

Option A and C involve assigning a public IP address, which violates the "no direct communication with the public internet" rule. Option D uses NAT to provide outbound internet connectivity, which also violates the requirement.

When integrating applications that require access to sensitive data stored in Cloud Storage, managing service account keys securely is crucial to prevent unauthorized access or data loss.​

Option A: Defining a VPC Service Controls perimeter enhances security by restricting access to Google Cloud services. However, configuring ingress rules to allow external access for the service account may introduce complexities and potential security gaps, especially if the partner's infrastructure is outside the defined perimeter.​

Option B: Scanning and masking customer data addresses data sensitivity but does not mitigate risks associated with compromised service account keys. This approach focuses on data content rather than access control mechanisms.​

Option C: Encrypting data at rest using customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) ensures data confidentiality but does not directly address the security of service account keys or access controls.​

Option D: Implementing a secret management service to handle service account keys is a best practice. By configuring the service to frequently rotate keys, you reduce the window of opportunity for malicious actors to exploit compromised keys. Additionally, enforcing strict access controls ensures that only authorized personnel can create or manage service account keys, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access. This approach directly addresses the security concerns related to service account key management.​

Therefore, Option D is the most appropriate recommendation, as it focuses on securely managing service account keys through rotation and access controls, thereby minimizing the risk of data loss due to compromised keys.​

Objective: Store and retrieve sensitive configuration data for an application running on Compute Engine.

Solution: Use Secret Manager to securely store and manage access to sensitive configuration data.

Steps:

Step 1: Open the Google Cloud Console.

Step 2: Navigate to the Secret Manager section.

Step 3: Create a new secret and add the sensitive configuration data.

Step 4: Set appropriate IAM policies to control access to the secret.

Step 5: Update the application to retrieve the secret from Secret Manager using the appropriate client libraries or APIs.

Secret Manager provides a secure and centralized way to manage sensitive information, with fine-grained access control and audit logging capabilities.

If a user loses their second factor for 2-Step Verification (2SV), you can help them regain access with minimal risk by generating a backup code.

Generate a Backup Code (A):

In the Google Admin console, navigate to the user's account settings.

Generate a backup code for the user. This code allows them to sign in despite not having access to their usual second factor.

Instruct the user to log in using the backup code and then update their second factor in their account settings.

This method ensures that only the affected user’s access is temporarily adjusted, minimizing risk while maintaining overall security policies.

References

Google Admin console 2-Step Verification documentation