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ACE Practice Question: A developer accidentally committed a service…
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of a developer accidentally committed a service…. 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 developer accidentally committed a service account key JSON file to a public GitHub repository. The key was valid for a service account with broad Editor permissions. What should you do FIRST?
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.
A
Distractor review
Remove the committed file from Git history using `git filter-branch` or BFG Repo Cleaner.
Cleaning Git history is important for preventing future exposure but doesn't revoke the already-exposed key. Active exploitation may be occurring while you clean history.
B
Distractor review
Make the GitHub repository private to hide the exposed key.
Making the repo private doesn't revoke the key — it may have already been crawled by scanners. The key remains valid until explicitly revoked.
C
Distractor review
Reduce the service account's permissions to limit the blast radius.
Reducing permissions limits damage but the key is still valid and usable. Revoking the key is the correct first action.
D
Best answer
Immediately delete or disable the service account key in the Cloud Console or via gcloud.
Revoking the key immediately stops any ongoing or future unauthorized use. This is the highest-priority action — stop the bleeding first, then investigate.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Authentication checks who the user is.
- Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
- Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
- AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
- Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
- Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
- Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
Key takeaway
Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
Related practice questions
Related ACE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
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Question 2
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Question 3
Which gcloud command creates a Compute Engine VM named 'web-01' using the e2-medium machine type in zone us-central1-a?
Question 4
A team wants to receive an email alert when the average CPU utilization of VMs in a managed instance group exceeds 80% for more than 5 minutes. What should they create in Cloud Monitoring?
Question 5
A junior developer needs read-only access to all GCP resources in a project. Which IAM role grants the minimum permissions required?
Question 6
A startup creates its first Google Cloud project. Before deploying any paid resources, what must be linked to the project?
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Authentication checks who the user is.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Immediately delete or disable the service account key in the Cloud Console or via gcloud. — When a service account key is exposed, the immediate priority is to revoke/delete the key to prevent unauthorized use. After revoking the key, you should audit Cloud Audit Logs for any unauthorized API calls made with the compromised key during the exposure window, then rotate any secrets that may have been accessed. Removing the key from the Git history is important but secondary to stopping active exploitation.
What should I do if I get this ACE question wrong?
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related ACE questions on access control and AAA configuration.
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This ACE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 ACE exam.