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GCDL Practice Question: A security team wants to ensure that only…
This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of a security team wants to ensure that only…. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 security team wants to ensure that only container images built by their approved CI/CD pipeline can run in their GKE cluster. Images built outside the approved process — even by internal engineers — should be blocked. Which Google Cloud security feature enforces this?
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
Best answer
Binary Authorization — requiring cryptographic attestations for container images before they can be deployed to GKE.
Binary Authorization enforces that only images with valid attestations (created by the approved CI/CD pipeline using Cloud KMS keys) can be deployed to GKE. Unsigned or externally built images are blocked at admission.
B
Distractor review
Cloud Armor — it blocks unauthorized container images at the load balancer.
Cloud Armor is a WAF/DDoS protection service at the HTTP layer. It doesn't inspect or validate container images at deployment time.
C
Distractor review
Artifact Registry vulnerability scanning — blocking images with CVEs from being deployed.
Vulnerability scanning detects known CVEs and can block deploying vulnerable images. Binary Authorization specifically enforces build pipeline provenance (was this image built by the approved process?), not vulnerability status.
D
Distractor review
Cloud IAM — restricting `container.pods.create` permission to only the CI/CD service account.
IAM can restrict who creates pods, but engineers with deployment permissions could still deploy manually-built images. Binary Authorization enforces image provenance regardless of who initiates the deployment.
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
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More questions from this exam
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Question 1
A traditional retailer currently maintains its own data centers, purchasing servers every 3–5 years and paying for facilities, power, and staff regardless of demand. When it migrates its workloads to the public cloud, which change in cost model does it experience?
Question 2
An e-commerce company plans its infrastructure for peak shopping events (e.g., Black Friday) which drive 50× normal traffic. On-premises, they must maintain 50× capacity year-round. In the cloud, they provision 50× capacity only during peak periods. Which cloud characteristic enables this cost optimization?
Question 3
Which term describes the process by which organizations integrate digital technology into all areas of their business, fundamentally changing how they operate and deliver value to customers?
Question 4
When a company moves from maintaining its own data center to using Google Cloud, which operational responsibility does Google assume that the company previously managed?
Question 5
A hospital runs a patient records system that must remain on-premises due to strict regulatory data residency requirements. However, they also want to use cloud-based AI for diagnostic imaging analysis. Which cloud deployment model best describes their architecture?
Question 6
What is virtualization in the context of cloud computing, and why is it fundamental to how cloud providers deliver services?
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this GCDL question test?
Authentication checks who the user is.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Binary Authorization — requiring cryptographic attestations for container images before they can be deployed to GKE. — Binary Authorization is a GKE admission controller that requires container images to have cryptographic attestations (signatures) from approved attestors before they can be deployed. The CI/CD pipeline (Cloud Build) creates attestations for images it builds using a Cloud KMS-managed key. Images without valid attestations are rejected at deployment time. This enforces software supply chain security — only pipeline-built images can reach production.
What should I do if I get this GCDL 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 GCDL questions on access control and AAA configuration.
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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.