Google PCA Designing for Security and Compliance Practice Question
A security engineer wants to prevent data exfiltration from a project 'prod-data' by ensuring that only approved VPC networks can access BigQuery datasets. Which GCP service should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing network-level controls (Private Google Access, Cloud NAT) with API-level perimeter controls (VPC Service Controls) that actually restrict data access to approved networks.
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
✓
VPC Service Controls
VPC Service Controls create a service perimeter around GCP resources such as BigQuery datasets, restricting access to only approved VPC networks and identities. By placing the 'prod-data' project inside a perimeter and defining access levels, the engineer can block data exfiltration from unapproved networks. This is the GCP-native control designed specifically for this scenario.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Private Google Access
Why it's wrong here
Private Google Access only lets VM instances without external IP addresses reach Google APIs; it grants no control over which networks may query a dataset. VPC Service Controls perimeters are the mechanism that restricts BigQuery access to approved networks and blocks exfiltration.
- ✗
Cloud Armor
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Armor filters HTTP(S) traffic at the edge against web attacks and DDoS; it never authorises BigQuery API calls. VPC Service Controls draws a perimeter around the dataset so only approved networks reach it, which is the exfiltration control required here.
- ✗
Cloud NAT
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT provides outbound internet connectivity for private instances; it enforces no access policy on Google APIs. Restricting BigQuery to approved networks requires a VPC Service Controls perimeter, which denies requests originating outside the defined boundary.
- ✓
VPC Service Controls
Why this is correct
VPC Service Controls builds a service perimeter around BigQuery, restricting access to approved VPC networks and blocking data exfiltration even by authorised identities. This directly enforces the network-origin constraint on the prod-data project's datasets, which IAM alone cannot achieve.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Data Migration and Transfer Services
Key term
BigQuery
BigQuery is a fully managed, serverless data warehouse on Google Cloud that lets you run fast SQL queries on massive datasets without managing any infrastructure.
Key term
VPC Service Controls
VPC Service Controls is a Google Cloud security feature that protects the data of managed services by defining perimeters that prevent data exfiltration and unauthorized access across public networks.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Google Cloud exam blueprint
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.