Google PCA Designing for Security and Compliance Practice Question
A company wants to allow a Kubernetes pod in GKE to authenticate to Google Cloud APIs without storing service account keys in the cluster. Which three components need to be configured to enable Workload Identity? (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
✓
Google Cloud service account
Workload Identity requires: (1) a Google Cloud IAM service account (GCP SA), (2) a Kubernetes service account (KSA) annotated with the GCP SA email, and (3) an IAM policy binding between the KSA and GCP SA to allow impersonation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Google Cloud service account
Why this is correct
The Google Cloud service account is the identity the pod impersonates to call Google Cloud APIs. It must exist and be granted the required IAM roles, forming the target of the Workload Identity mapping that removes the need for downloaded keys.
- ✓
Kubernetes service account with annotation
Why this is correct
Annotating the Kubernetes service account with the Google Cloud service account's email links the two identities. This binding is the prerequisite that Workload Identity uses to map the pod's Kubernetes identity to the Google Cloud service account, avoiding stored keys.
- ✗
Firewall rule to allow traffic to metadata server
Why it's wrong here
Workload Identity reaches the GKE metadata server through the cluster's existing network path; no separate firewall rule is required. It is tempting because on Compute Engine you must permit access to 169.254.169.254, so administrators assume the same explicit rule applies inside GKE.
- ✓
IAM policy binding granting the GCP SA roles/iam.workloadIdentityUser on the GCP SA
Why this is correct
The IAM binding grants the Kubernetes service account, via its Workload Identity principal, the roles/iam.workloadIdentityUser role on the Google Cloud service account. This authorisation is what permits the pod to impersonate that service account, satisfying the no-stored-keys constraint.
- ✗
Cloud NAT for outbound access
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT provides outbound internet address translation for private nodes; it plays no part in issuing or federating pod credentials. It is tempting because Workload Identity requires outbound calls to the GKE metadata server and IAM endpoints, and NAT is genuinely needed when private nodes lack external IP addresses.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
IAM Policies, Service Accounts, and Auditing
Key term
Least privilege
Least privilege is a security principle that means giving users, systems, or programs only the minimum permissions they need to do their job and nothing more.
Key term
IAM policy
An IAM policy is a set of rules that determines who can access specific cloud resources and what actions they are allowed to perform.
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JA
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.