Cloud Digital Leader Trust and security with Google Cloud Practice Question
When data is transmitted between a user's browser and a Google Cloud-hosted web application over HTTPS, which security protection does this provide?
⚠ Common exam trap
The GCDL exam often tests the distinction between encryption in transit (HTTPS) and encryption at rest (database encryption), leading candidates to incorrectly select an option about stored data or access control.
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
✓
It encrypts data in transit between the user's browser and the server, preventing eavesdropping and tampering.
HTTPS (HTTP over TLS) encrypts the communication channel between the user's browser and the web server using Transport Layer Security (TLS). This ensures that any data transmitted, such as login credentials or API requests, is protected from eavesdropping and tampering while in transit. It does not protect data at rest or control access to cloud management interfaces.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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It prevents unauthorized users from accessing the Google Cloud Console.
Why it's wrong here
Access to the Google Cloud Console is governed by IAM (Identity and Access Management) policies that authenticate the user and authorize specific roles and permissions. HTTPS on an application encrypts traffic to that application, but it does not grant or deny anyone access to the console—it neither identifies the user nor checks their IAM permissions. Unauthorized users are blocked by login and IAM checks, not by the presence or absence of TLS.
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It encrypts data in transit between the user's browser and the server, preventing eavesdropping and tampering.
Why this is correct
HTTPS (TLS) establishes an encrypted tunnel between the user's browser and the web server, negotiating a session key through a handshake that authenticates the server using its certificate. This ensures that any data exchanged—such as form submissions or cookies—cannot be read (confidentiality) or altered (integrity) by an eavesdropper or man-in-the-middle. That is precisely the purpose of HTTPS on a web application: protecting data while it is in transit.
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It encrypts data stored in the server's database.
Why it's wrong here
HTTPS/TLS secures data only while it is being transmitted over the network. Data stored in a server's database is at rest and is protected by separate mechanisms, such as Google Cloud's default encryption at rest or customer-managed encryption keys. Even with HTTPS active, the application or database may store plaintext data unless that layer is explicitly encrypted, so this option mistakes in-transit protection for at-rest protection.
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It authenticates the user and verifies their permissions to use the application.
Why it's wrong here
TLS/HTTPS authenticates the server to the client using a digital certificate, proving the server's identity, but it does not authenticate the client user. User identity and permissions are validated separately through credential checks, such as passwords, multi-factor authentication, or SAML/OIDC single sign-on, and then authorized by the application or IAM. Therefore, HTTPS alone cannot confirm who the user is or which operations they may perform, so this option conflates server authentication with user authentication.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Cloud Digital Transformation
Key term
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, or HTTPS, is the secure version of HTTP that encrypts data between a web browser and a website using SSL/TLS to protect sensitive information like passwords and credit card numbers.
Key term
Google Cloud
Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google that provides infrastructure, platform, and software solutions over the internet.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.