PCSE Practice Question: Configuring Access Within a Cloud Solution Environment
A security administrator wants to prevent users from disabling Shielded VM on existing Compute Engine instances. Which IAM permission should they deny?
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
✓
compute.instances.updateShieldedVmConfig
The permission compute.instances.updateShieldedVmConfig controls the ability to update the Shielded VM configuration (enable/disable) on an existing instance. Denying this permission will prevent users from changing Shielded VM settings on instances. The permission compute.instances.setMetadata is for metadata changes, compute.instances.update is for general updates, and compute.instances.setMachineResources is for changing machine types.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
compute.instances.setMetadata
Why it's wrong here
This permission is for setting metadata, not Shielded VM configuration.
- ✗
compute.instances.setMachineResources
Why it's wrong here
This permission controls machine type changes, not Shielded VM settings.
- ✓
compute.instances.updateShieldedVmConfig
Why this is correct
This permission specifically controls the ability to update Shielded VM settings on an existing instance.
- ✗
compute.instances.update
Why it's wrong here
This is a broader permission that includes many update operations, but the specific permission for Shielded VM is more targeted.
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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.