ACE Practice Question: A public API receives global traffic but has been…
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of a public api receives global traffic but has been…. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A public API receives global traffic but has been targeted by both volumetric DDoS attacks and SQL injection attempts in HTTP request parameters. Which single GCP service provides protection against both threats?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Cloud NAT to hide backend IP addresses
Cloud NAT manages outbound connectivity from private VMs — it doesn't protect public-facing endpoints from attacks.
Best answer
Cloud Armor security policies on the load balancer
Cloud Armor provides both volumetric DDoS protection at Google's global edge and WAF rules (including preconfigured OWASP protection for SQL injection) — addressing both attack types from a single service.
Distractor review
Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) to require authentication before accessing the API
IAP enforces identity-based access control — it's not designed to defend against DDoS or to inspect request payloads for injection attacks.
Distractor review
VPC firewall rules with deny rules for known attacker IPs
VPC firewall rules block traffic by IP/port but cannot inspect HTTP payload content for SQL injection — and IP-based blocking is ineffective against distributed DDoS attacks.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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More questions from this exam
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Question 3
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Question 4
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Question 5
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Question 6
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cloud Armor security policies on the load balancer — Cloud Armor is GCP's application-layer security service providing DDoS protection (volumetric attacks absorbed at Google's edge) and WAF capabilities (preconfigured OWASP Core Rule Sets for common exploits including SQL injection). VPC firewall rules operate at L3/L4 and don't inspect HTTP payloads.
What should I do if I get this ACE question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related ACE NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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