- A
Encrypt data in transit using TLS
Required by HIPAA for data in transit.
- B
Enable Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for data classification
Why wrong: DLP is helpful but not a required HIPAA security control.
- C
Use Cloud CDN for faster delivery
Why wrong: CDN is for performance, not security.
- D
Implement VPC Service Controls to prevent data exfiltration
VPC Service Controls help enforce access controls and prevent data exfiltration, important for HIPAA.
- E
Use Cloud HSM for encryption keys
Provides customer-managed HSM-backed keys for encryption at rest, a common compliance requirement.
Question 603 of 1,000
Google PCA Design for security and compliance Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of design for security and compliance. 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 company is designing a data processing pipeline in Google Cloud that must be HIPAA compliant. Which three security features should they implement? (Choose three.)
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
✓
Encrypt data in transit using TLS
Encrypting data in transit using TLS is a mandatory security control for HIPAA compliance because it protects electronic protected health information (ePHI) from interception during transmission over networks. TLS 1.2 or higher ensures that data moving between clients, services, and Google Cloud endpoints is encrypted, meeting the HIPAA Security Rule requirement for integrity and confidentiality of ePHI in transit.
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.
- ✓
Encrypt data in transit using TLS
Why this is correct
Required by HIPAA for data in transit.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for data classification
Why it's wrong here
DLP is helpful but not a required HIPAA security control.
- ✗
Use Cloud CDN for faster delivery
Why it's wrong here
CDN is for performance, not security.
- ✓
Implement VPC Service Controls to prevent data exfiltration
Why this is correct
VPC Service Controls help enforce access controls and prevent data exfiltration, important for HIPAA.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Use Cloud HSM for encryption keys
Why this is correct
Provides customer-managed HSM-backed keys for encryption at rest, a common compliance requirement.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse data classification tools like DLP with mandatory security controls, or mistake performance features like Cloud CDN for compliance requirements, when HIPAA specifically requires encryption, access controls, and audit trails.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
TLS encryption in Google Cloud is enforced at the network layer using Google's front-end servers and internal mTLS between services; for HIPAA, you must ensure that all external and internal communications use TLS 1.2+ with strong cipher suites (e.g., TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256). A common oversight is failing to encrypt inter-service traffic within a VPC, which can be addressed by enabling VPC Flow Logs and using Private Google Access with TLS.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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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Design for security and compliance — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Design for security and compliance — This question tests Design for security and compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Encrypt data in transit using TLS — Encrypting data in transit using TLS is a mandatory security control for HIPAA compliance because it protects electronic protected health information (ePHI) from interception during transmission over networks. TLS 1.2 or higher ensures that data moving between clients, services, and Google Cloud endpoints is encrypted, meeting the HIPAA Security Rule requirement for integrity and confidentiality of ePHI in transit.
What should I do if I get this PCA 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 →
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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