- A
Google controls who can access the database and what data can be stored.
Why wrong: Access control (who can connect to the database, with what permissions) is always the customer's responsibility. Google never controls customer data access policies.
- B
Google handles physical security, hardware maintenance, and OS and database software patching.
For managed services, Google manages the entire infrastructure layer: physical security, hardware, hypervisor, and service software updates. Customers manage their configuration and data.
- C
Google is responsible for backing up customer data and ensuring data recovery.
Why wrong: While Cloud SQL offers managed backups (which Google operates), enabling and managing backup policies is a customer responsibility. Google provides the capability; customers configure it.
- D
Google determines which compliance certifications the customer's application must meet.
Why wrong: Compliance requirements are determined by the customer's industry and regulatory environment. Google provides compliance certifications for its infrastructure; customers are responsible for their application-level compliance.
Shared Responsibility Model for Cloud SQL
This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of trust and security with google cloud. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 company is concerned about which security responsibilities belong to Google versus which belong to them when using Google Cloud's managed database service (Cloud SQL). In the shared responsibility model, which security tasks does Google handle?
Quick Answer
The answer is that Google handles physical security, hardware maintenance, and OS and database software patching. This is correct because the shared responsibility model for Google Cloud managed database Cloud SQL divides security into security 'of' the cloud, which Google manages, and security 'in' the cloud, which the customer owns. Google secures the underlying infrastructure—data centers, servers, and the hypervisor layer—while also patching the operating system and database software, ensuring the managed service remains resilient against infrastructure-level threats. On the Google Cloud Digital Leader exam, this concept tests your understanding of how managed services shift operational burdens to Google, often appearing as a scenario where a company must identify which tasks are no longer their concern. A common trap is assuming customers patch the database software in a managed service, but Cloud SQL automates that. Memory tip: think "Google guards the ground and the glass"—physical sites and the software stack—while you guard the data and access.
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
Google handles physical security, hardware maintenance, and OS and database software patching.
In the shared responsibility model for Google Cloud services like Cloud SQL, Google is responsible for security 'of' the cloud, which includes physical security of data centers, hardware maintenance, and patching the underlying operating system and database software. This ensures the infrastructure hosting Cloud SQL instances is secure, while the customer remains responsible for securing their data, access policies, and application-level configurations.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Google controls who can access the database and what data can be stored.
Why it's wrong here
Access control (who can connect to the database, with what permissions) is always the customer's responsibility. Google never controls customer data access policies.
- ✓
Google handles physical security, hardware maintenance, and OS and database software patching.
Why this is correct
For managed services, Google manages the entire infrastructure layer: physical security, hardware, hypervisor, and service software updates. Customers manage their configuration and data.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Google is responsible for backing up customer data and ensuring data recovery.
Why it's wrong here
While Cloud SQL offers managed backups (which Google operates), enabling and managing backup policies is a customer responsibility. Google provides the capability; customers configure it.
- ✗
Google determines which compliance certifications the customer's application must meet.
Why it's wrong here
Compliance requirements are determined by the customer's industry and regulatory environment. Google provides compliance certifications for its infrastructure; customers are responsible for their application-level compliance.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Google's responsibility for patching the database software (which Google handles) with the customer's responsibility for managing database access controls and backup configurations, leading them to incorrectly select options A or C.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Cloud SQL runs on Google Compute Engine VMs with a hardened OS image that Google patches automatically via a rolling update mechanism. Google also manages the database engine (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server) by applying security patches and minor version upgrades, but major version upgrades require customer initiation. This separation is critical in scenarios like a zero-day vulnerability in the database engine: Google patches the underlying software, but the customer must still ensure their application code and queries are not vulnerable to SQL injection or other application-layer attacks.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Trust and security with Google Cloud — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this GCDL question test?
Trust and security with Google Cloud — This question tests Trust and security with Google Cloud — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Google handles physical security, hardware maintenance, and OS and database software patching. — In the shared responsibility model for Google Cloud services like Cloud SQL, Google is responsible for security 'of' the cloud, which includes physical security of data centers, hardware maintenance, and patching the underlying operating system and database software. This ensures the infrastructure hosting Cloud SQL instances is secure, while the customer remains responsible for securing their data, access policies, and application-level configurations.
What should I do if I get this GCDL question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on GCDL
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is moving its financial reporting application to Google Cloud. The CFO asks: 'If Google Cloud experiences a data breach and our financial data is exposed, who is financially liable?' How should the cloud architect answer this question?
medium- A.Google Cloud bears full financial liability for all data breaches involving customer data on its platform
- ✓ B.Liability depends on where the breach originated: Google is responsible for failures in its infrastructure security; the customer is responsible for breaches resulting from misconfiguration, application vulnerabilities, or inadequate access controls in areas under their responsibility
- C.The customer bears all liability for any breach because they chose to use cloud services
- D.No party is liable because data breaches in cloud are force majeure events similar to natural disasters
Why B: Option B is correct because the Google Cloud Shared Responsibility Model explicitly delineates liability: Google is responsible for the security of the cloud (e.g., physical infrastructure, hypervisor, network controls), while the customer is responsible for security in the cloud (e.g., IAM policies, application code, data encryption). In a breach, liability is determined by where the failure occurred—if Google’s infrastructure (e.g., GKE node isolation) fails, Google bears liability; if the customer misconfigures a Cloud Storage bucket or leaves a Compute Engine firewall open, the customer bears liability. This aligns with the CFO’s question about financial liability, which is not absolute but contingent on the breach’s origin.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This GCDL 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 GCDL exam.
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