CV0-004 Security Practice Question
A cloud security team is reviewing a Google Cloud environment. They need to ensure that data stored in Cloud Storage buckets is protected with customer-managed encryption keys and that access to those keys is tightly controlled. Which TWO actions should the team take? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) with customer-supplied encryption keys (CSEK), which are provided per request and not managed in Cloud KMS.
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
✓
Create a Cloud KMS key ring and key, then grant the storage service account the cryptoKeyEncrypterDecrypter role on the key.
Enabling CMEK for Cloud Storage requires creating a Cloud KMS key and granting the Cloud Storage service account the cryptoKeyEncrypterDecrypter role on that key. Then, the bucket's default encryption must be set to use that key. These two actions ensure that objects are encrypted with customer-managed keys and that access to the keys is controlled via IAM.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable uniform bucket-level access on the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Uniform bucket-level access simplifies permission management by disabling object-level ACLs, but it does not control encryption keys. It is unrelated to CMEK configuration. While it is a security best practice, it does not satisfy the requirement for customer-managed encryption keys in this scenario.
- ✗
Use customer-supplied encryption keys (CSEK) by providing the key with each upload request.
Why it's wrong here
CSEK involves the customer providing their own encryption key with each request, and Google does not store the key. This is different from customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK), which use Cloud KMS. The scenario specifically asks for customer-managed keys, which are managed in Cloud KMS, not supplied per request.
- ✓
Create a Cloud KMS key ring and key, then grant the storage service account the cryptoKeyEncrypterDecrypter role on the key.
Why this is correct
To use customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) with Cloud Storage, you must create a Cloud KMS key and grant the Cloud Storage service account permission to use it. The cryptoKeyEncrypterDecrypter role allows the service to encrypt and decrypt data with the key. This is a required step for enabling CMEK on buckets.
- ✓
Configure the bucket's default encryption to use the Cloud KMS key.
Why this is correct
Setting the bucket's default encryption to the Cloud KMS key ensures that all new objects are encrypted with that key. This is how CMEK is applied at the bucket level. Without this configuration, objects would use Google-managed keys by default, failing the requirement for customer-managed encryption.
- ✗
Create a service account with the Cloud KMS Admin role and use it to encrypt all objects manually.
Why it's wrong here
Manual encryption with a service account is not how Cloud Storage CMEK works. CMEK is applied automatically when the bucket's default encryption is set to a KMS key. Granting broad KMS Admin permissions also violates least privilege and is unnecessary for enabling CMEK.
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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
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