PCSE Ensuring Data Protection Practice Question
A company using Cloud KMS wants to automatically rotate a symmetric encryption key every 90 days. What is the correct way to configure this?
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
✓
Set the rotation period on the cryptographic key to 90 days
Cloud KMS supports automatic rotation by setting a rotation period on the key. The key's primary version will be rotated automatically at the specified interval.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Set the key purpose to ASYMMETRIC_SIGN for automatic rotation
Why it's wrong here
Key purpose does not affect rotation; asymmetric keys also support rotation periods.
- ✗
Set the rotation period to 90 days when creating the key ring
Why it's wrong here
Rotation period is set on the key, not the key ring.
- ✗
Use Cloud Scheduler to call `cloudkms.rotateKey` every 90 days
Why it's wrong here
Manual rotation is possible but not the automatic method; automatic rotation uses the rotation period.
- ✓
Set the rotation period on the cryptographic key to 90 days
Why this is correct
Setting rotation period on the key enables automatic rotation.
Quick reference
Symmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Size | Block Size | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AES-128 | 128-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | NIST approved; WPA3, TLS |
| AES-256 | 256-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | Preferred for sensitive / govt data |
| 3DES | 112-bit effective | 64-bit | Deprecated (2023) | Replaced by AES |
| DES | 56-bit | 64-bit | Broken | Cracked in < 24 h; never deploy |
| ChaCha20 | 256-bit | Stream cipher | Current | TLS 1.3, WireGuard |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCSE 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 PCSE exam.