- A
Use VPC Service Controls to prevent creation from unauthorized images
Why wrong: VPC Service Controls protect service perimeters, not image sources.
- B
Use a custom role with permissions restricted to specific image families
Custom roles can limit which images a user can use by granting permissions on specific image projects.
- C
Use Cloud Asset Inventory to detect non-compliant images and trigger remediation
Why wrong: Detection is reactive; not a prevention method.
- D
Use IAM conditions on compute.instances.create to require a specific family label
Why wrong: IAM conditions cannot check the image project at creation time easily.
- E
Use Organization Policy constraint compute.trustedImageProjects
This constraint restricts image projects across the organization.
Question 670 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. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 needs to ensure that only approved machine images can be used to create Compute Engine instances to meet security compliance. Which two methods should they use? (Choose two.)
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
✓
Use a custom role with permissions restricted to specific image families
Option B is correct because a custom IAM role can be created with permissions restricted to specific image families (e.g., `compute.images.list` and `compute.instances.create` with conditions), ensuring that only approved image families can be used to launch instances. This directly enforces compliance by preventing the use of unapproved images at the IAM level.
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.
- ✗
Use VPC Service Controls to prevent creation from unauthorized images
Why it's wrong here
VPC Service Controls protect service perimeters, not image sources.
- ✓
Use a custom role with permissions restricted to specific image families
Why this is correct
Custom roles can limit which images a user can use by granting permissions on specific image projects.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Cloud Asset Inventory to detect non-compliant images and trigger remediation
Why it's wrong here
Detection is reactive; not a prevention method.
- ✗
Use IAM conditions on compute.instances.create to require a specific family label
Why it's wrong here
IAM conditions cannot check the image project at creation time easily.
- ✓
Use Organization Policy constraint compute.trustedImageProjects
Why this is correct
This constraint restricts image projects across the organization.
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 often confuse detection-based tools (like Cloud Asset Inventory) with preventive controls, or they incorrectly assume that IAM conditions can evaluate arbitrary resource metadata like image family labels, when in fact only specific resource attributes are supported.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Organization Policy constraint `compute.trustedImageProjects` (Option E) works by specifying a list of trusted projects from which images can be used, and it is enforced at the project or folder level before instance creation. Under the hood, this constraint is evaluated by the Compute Engine API during the `instances.insert` call, blocking any request that references an image from an untrusted project. A real-world scenario is a financial institution that must ensure all VMs run only hardened images from a central security project, preventing developers from accidentally using public images with vulnerabilities.
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.
- →
Design for security and compliance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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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: Use a custom role with permissions restricted to specific image families — Option B is correct because a custom IAM role can be created with permissions restricted to specific image families (e.g., `compute.images.list` and `compute.instances.create` with conditions), ensuring that only approved image families can be used to launch instances. This directly enforces compliance by preventing the use of unapproved images at the IAM level.
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
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