hardMultiple Choice
CV0-004 Practice Question: Runs the commands shown in the exhibit
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
[user@bastion ~]$ gcloud compute instances list --format="value(name,zone,status)"
web-server-1 us-central1-a RUNNING
web-server-2 us-central1-b RUNNING
db-server us-central1-a RUNNING
[user@bastion ~]$ gcloud compute ssh web-server-1 --command="sudo systemctl status nginx"
● nginx.service - A high performance web server
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/nginx.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
Active: active (running) since Mon 2024-03-14 10:23:45 UTC; 1h 30min ago
[user@bastion ~]$ gcloud compute firewall-rules list --filter="allowed=('tcp:22')"
NAME NETWORK DIRECTION PRIORITY ALLOW DENY DISABLED
allow-ssh default INGRESS 1000 tcp:22 False
[user@bastion ~]$ gcloud compute firewall-rules describe allow-ssh
allowed:
- IPProtocol: tcp
ports:
- '22'
sourceRanges:
- 0.0.0.0/0
```A cloud engineer runs the commands shown in the exhibit. Based on the output, which security issue is present?
⚠ Common exam trap
CV0-004 often tests whether candidates focus on the actual misconfiguration shown (0.0.0.0/0 on SSH) rather than plausible-sounding but unsupported options like 'no bastion host' or 'too many rules'.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The firewall rule allows SSH access from any source IP.
The exhibit shows a firewall rule permitting TCP/22 (SSH) with source 0.0.0.0/0, meaning any host on the internet can attempt SSH to the web servers. This violates least privilege and exposes the instances to brute-force and exploitation attempts. The correct remediation is to restrict the source to a bastion host or corporate CIDR.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The bastion host is not used for SSH access.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit's output concerns listening ports and exposed services, not which jump host brokers SSH, so bastion usage is irrelevant to the finding. A bastion host is tempting because it centralises SSH entry and reduces public exposure, and it would be the answer if the output showed SSH reachable directly from the internet.
- ✗
The web servers are not running.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows listening sockets and connection states, which indicate services are bound and accepting traffic; stopped web servers would show no listener on ports 80/443. Verifying service availability is tempting because it is a common troubleshooting step, and it would be correct if the output showed failed units or refused connections.
- ✓
The firewall rule allows SSH access from any source IP.
Why this is correct
The exhibit shows an inbound rule permitting TCP port 22 with a source of 0.0.0.0/0, meaning any internet host can reach SSH. That violates the least-privilege constraint in the stem, since administrative access should be restricted to known management addresses rather than exposed globally.
- ✗
There are too many firewall rules allowing SSH.
Why it's wrong here
Rule count alone is not a security issue; overly permissive source ranges or ports are. Many SSH rules can be legitimate, so volume does not evidence exposure. The actual issue is the breadth of access permitted — for example 0.0.0.0/0 on port 22 — which the exhibit's specific rules would reveal.
Visual reference
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CV0-004 exam.