The answer is to create an ingress firewall rule with target tag 'management', source IP range 203.0.113.0/24, protocol tcp:22, and action allow. This configuration is correct because Google Cloud VPC firewall rules are stateless and default-deny for ingress; by explicitly allowing only TCP port 22 from the office’s static IP range to instances tagged 'management', all other ingress traffic is implicitly blocked, satisfying the requirement to restrict SSH access exclusively to that specific source. On the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how target tags and source IP ranges work together to enforce least-privilege network access, often appearing as a distractor where candidates mistakenly create an egress rule or use a broader source range. A common trap is forgetting that GCP’s default deny means you only need one allow rule—no separate deny rule is required. Memory tip: “Tag, source, port, allow—only SSH from the office, block all others.”
PCSE Configuring network security Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of configuring network security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Your organization has a VPC with several subnets hosting Compute Engine instances. You need to allow SSH access (port 22) to instances in the 'management' subnet from the internet, but only from the office's static IP range (203.0.113.0/24). All other ingress traffic to that subnet should be blocked. Which firewall rule configuration should you create?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an ingress rule with target tag 'management', source IP range 203.0.113.0/24, protocol tcp:22, action allow
Option C is correct because it creates an ingress firewall rule that explicitly allows TCP port 22 traffic from the office's static IP range (203.0.113.0/24) to instances tagged 'management'. In Google Cloud VPC firewall rules, the default action is to deny all ingress traffic unless an allow rule matches, so this single allow rule satisfies the requirement: only SSH from the office IP range is permitted, and all other ingress is implicitly blocked.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Create an ingress rule with target tag 'management', source IP range 0.0.0.0/0, protocol tcp:22, action allow
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that you need both an allow rule and a separate deny rule to block other traffic, but in Google Cloud VPC, the implicit deny all ingress rule already blocks everything not explicitly allowed, so only the allow rule is required.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Google Cloud VPC firewall rules are stateful and evaluated in order: lower priority numbers are evaluated first, but the default rule (priority 65535) denies all ingress. An allow rule for a specific source and protocol takes precedence over the implicit deny, so no additional deny rules are needed. The target tag 'management' must be applied to the Compute Engine instances' network tags for the rule to apply, and the source IP range must be specified as the office's public CIDR (203.0.113.0/24).
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Configuring network security — This question tests Configuring network security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an ingress rule with target tag 'management', source IP range 203.0.113.0/24, protocol tcp:22, action allow — Option C is correct because it creates an ingress firewall rule that explicitly allows TCP port 22 traffic from the office's static IP range (203.0.113.0/24) to instances tagged 'management'. In Google Cloud VPC firewall rules, the default action is to deny all ingress traffic unless an allow rule matches, so this single allow rule satisfies the requirement: only SSH from the office IP range is permitted, and all other ingress is implicitly blocked.
What should I do if I get this PCSE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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