- A
It grants access only to users within your Google Workspace domain — a minor risk if your domain is small.
Why wrong: allAuthenticatedUsers applies to ANY Google account globally, not just your domain. Your domain users are covered by allUsers in your domain (a separate concept).
- B
It grants read access to any person with a Google account — effectively near-public access since Google accounts are free to create.
allAuthenticatedUsers means any Google account holder worldwide. Since Google accounts are free, this is nearly equivalent to public access and is inappropriate for internal data.
- C
It grants access only to Google service accounts, which is acceptable since those are controlled.
Why wrong: allAuthenticatedUsers includes human Gmail/Workspace accounts, not just service accounts. Any personal Google account qualifies.
- D
It grants access to authenticated GCP users in your organization's IAM policy — this is normal for shared resources.
Why wrong: This description applies to bindings using your org's domain group. allAuthenticatedUsers is a special IAM principal meaning any Google account globally.
Quick Answer
The answer is that `allAuthenticatedUsers` grants read access to any person with a Google account, making it a severe security risk because it effectively opens your Cloud Storage bucket to nearly the entire internet. This IAM member includes every user authenticated by Google, regardless of whether they belong to your organization or domain, so assigning `storage.objectViewer` allows anyone with a free Gmail account to list and read objects in the bucket. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this concept tests your understanding of IAM member types and the principle of least privilege; a common trap is confusing `allAuthenticatedUsers` with `allUsers`—the former still requires a Google account, but since accounts are free, the practical risk is almost identical. Remember the memory tip: "Authenticated doesn't mean authorized"—just having a Google account is not the same as being a trusted user in your project.
Google ACE Configuring access and security Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of configuring access and security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
A security audit found that several Cloud Storage buckets in your project have `allAuthenticatedUsers` in their IAM policy with `storage.objectViewer`. What does `allAuthenticatedUsers` grant, and why is it a security risk?
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
It grants read access to any person with a Google account — effectively near-public access since Google accounts are free to create.
`allAuthenticatedUsers` is a special IAM member that includes any person authenticated with a Google account, regardless of whether they belong to your organization or domain. Granting `storage.objectViewer` to this group means anyone with a free Google account (e.g., Gmail) can list and read objects in the bucket, making the data effectively public. This is a significant security risk because it exposes sensitive data to a vast, uncontrolled audience.
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.
- ✗
It grants access only to users within your Google Workspace domain — a minor risk if your domain is small.
Why it's wrong here
allAuthenticatedUsers applies to ANY Google account globally, not just your domain. Your domain users are covered by allUsers in your domain (a separate concept).
- ✓
It grants read access to any person with a Google account — effectively near-public access since Google accounts are free to create.
Why this is correct
allAuthenticatedUsers means any Google account holder worldwide. Since Google accounts are free, this is nearly equivalent to public access and is inappropriate for internal data.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
It grants access only to Google service accounts, which is acceptable since those are controlled.
Why it's wrong here
allAuthenticatedUsers includes human Gmail/Workspace accounts, not just service accounts. Any personal Google account qualifies.
- ✗
It grants access to authenticated GCP users in your organization's IAM policy — this is normal for shared resources.
Why it's wrong here
This description applies to bindings using your org's domain group. allAuthenticatedUsers is a special IAM principal meaning any Google account globally.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between `allAuthenticatedUsers` and `allUsers`, where candidates mistakenly think `allAuthenticatedUsers` is safe because it requires authentication, but the trap is that any Google account (free or otherwise) qualifies, making it nearly as risky as `allUsers` for sensitive data.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, `allAuthenticatedUsers` is a special IAM principal that matches any principal authenticated by Google, including users from consumer Gmail accounts, Google Workspace accounts, and even service accounts. This is distinct from `allUsers`, which includes unauthenticated visitors. A real-world scenario: a bucket containing customer PII or internal logs with `allAuthenticatedUsers` + `storage.objectViewer` could be accessed by any attacker who creates a free Gmail account, bypassing organizational controls.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Configuring access and security — This question tests Configuring access and security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: It grants read access to any person with a Google account — effectively near-public access since Google accounts are free to create. — `allAuthenticatedUsers` is a special IAM member that includes any person authenticated with a Google account, regardless of whether they belong to your organization or domain. Granting `storage.objectViewer` to this group means anyone with a free Google account (e.g., Gmail) can list and read objects in the bucket, making the data effectively public. This is a significant security risk because it exposes sensitive data to a vast, uncontrolled audience.
What should I do if I get this ACE 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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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This ACE 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 ACE exam.
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