Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
A company has a Cloud Run service that processes images uploaded by users. The service reads the images from a Cloud Storage bucket and writes processed images to another bucket. The team recently updated the service to use a custom service account named 'image-processor-sa' with minimal permissions. After the update, the service fails with permission errors when trying to read from the source bucket. The team verified that the service account has the Storage Object Viewer role on the source bucket and Storage Object Creator role on the destination bucket. What should the architect do to resolve the issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between granting permissions to a service account versus actually attaching that service account to a resource; candidates mistakenly assume that creating and granting roles to a service account automatically makes it the active identity of the Cloud Run service.
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
✓
Ensure the Cloud Run service uses the correct service account by redeploying with the --service-account flag set to 'image-processor-sa@project-id.iam.gserviceaccount.com'.
The error occurs because the Cloud Run service is not using the custom service account 'image-processor-sa' despite it being created and granted permissions. By default, Cloud Run uses the Compute Engine default service account unless explicitly overridden. Redeploying with the --service-account flag attaches the correct identity to the Cloud Run revision, allowing it to authenticate with Cloud Storage using the minimal permissions already assigned.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Ensure the Cloud Run service uses the correct service account by redeploying with the --service-account flag set to 'image-processor-sa@project-id.iam.gserviceaccount.com'.
Why this is correct
Correct: This ensures the Cloud Run service uses the custom service account with appropriate permissions.
- ✗
Grant the service account the Cloud Run Invoker role on the Cloud Run service.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: The Cloud Run Invoker role allows the service account to invoke the service, not relevant for accessing Cloud Storage.
- ✗
Assign the Storage Admin role to the service account.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Storage Admin is too broad and violates least privilege.
- ✗
Enable the Cloud Storage API for the project.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: The Cloud Storage API is already enabled if buckets exist; this is not the cause of the error.
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Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Compute Engine
Compute Engine is Google Cloud's Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering that lets you create and run virtual machines on Google's infrastructure.
Key term
Service
A service is a software component or system that performs a specific function and is available to be used by other programs or users over a network.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCA 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 PCA exam.