Google PCA Design for security and compliance Practice Question
Which THREE Google Cloud services can be used to implement a zero-trust architecture for network security? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse network-level connectivity services (like VPC Networks and Cloud VPN) with security controls, mistakenly thinking that encrypting traffic or segmenting networks alone satisfies zero-trust requirements, when zero-trust actually demands identity- and context-aware access enforcement at the application layer.
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
✓
Cloud Armor
Cloud Armor is correct because it provides web application firewall (WAF) and DDoS protection at the edge of Google's network, enforcing security policies based on IP addresses, geo-locations, and Layer 7 attributes. This aligns with zero-trust principles by inspecting and filtering traffic before it reaches the application, ensuring that only authorized requests are allowed, regardless of the network perimeter.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Cloud Armor
Why this is correct
Cloud Armor provides WAF and DDoS protection at the edge, enforcing security policies.
- ✓
Access Context Manager (ACM)
Why this is correct
ACM defines access levels based on attributes like device, IP, and time.
- ✓
Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP)
Why this is correct
Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) enforces zero-trust by authenticating and authorising every user request at the application layer before granting access, regardless of the user’s network location. This satisfies the zero-trust constraint of never trusting any request based solely on network perimeter or IP address, as IAP evaluates identity and context for each session.
- ✗
VPC Networks
Why it's wrong here
VPC networks provide network segmentation but not identity- and context-based access.
- ✗
Cloud VPN
Why it's wrong here
Cloud VPN connects networks, but does not enforce zero-trust per-access.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
IAM Policies, Service Accounts, and Auditing
Key term
Web Application Firewall
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a security tool that monitors, filters, and blocks HTTP traffic to and from a web application to protect it from common attacks.
Key term
CAN
A CAN (Controller Area Network) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other without a host computer.
About these practice questions
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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.