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.
An organization needs to allow a third-party SIEM tool to ingest audit logs from their Google Cloud organization. The SIEM tool should only have read access to logs. Which IAM role should be granted?
roles/logging.configWriter
Why wrong: Allows writing log configurations, not reading logs.
roles/logging.admin
Why wrong: Grants full control over logging, including writing logs.
roles/logging.viewer
Provides read-only access to log entries.
roles/logging.privateLogViewer
Why wrong: For viewing private logs (e.g., Audit Logs), but viewer is sufficient for public logs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
roles/logging.viewer
The roles/logging.viewer role grants read-only access to all logs in the Google Cloud organization, including audit logs, which is exactly what the third-party SIEM tool requires. This role allows the SIEM to ingest logs without the ability to modify or delete them, ensuring the principle of least privilege is maintained.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
roles/logging.configWriter
Why it's wrong here
Allows writing log configurations, not reading logs.
roles/logging.admin
Why it's wrong here
Grants full control over logging, including writing logs.
roles/logging.viewer
Why this is correct
Provides read-only access to log entries.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
roles/logging.privateLogViewer
Why it's wrong here
For viewing private logs (e.g., Audit Logs), but viewer is sufficient for public logs.
Common exam traps
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between roles/logging.viewer and roles/logging.privateLogViewer, where candidates mistakenly choose the latter thinking it is required for audit logs, but privateLogViewer is only needed for logs containing sensitive data like Access Transparency logs, not standard audit logs.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Cloud Logging uses IAM roles to control access to log entries via the Logging API (logging.googleapis.com). The roles/logging.viewer role includes permissions like logging.logEntries.list and logging.logEntries.get, which allow the SIEM to read logs from all log buckets, including the _Required and _Default buckets where audit logs (e.g., Admin Activity and Data Access logs) are stored. In a real-world scenario, if the SIEM only needs to ingest specific logs (e.g., only Admin Activity logs), you could further restrict access by granting the role at a lower resource hierarchy level (e.g., folder or project) or by using a custom role with only the necessary permissions.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Configuring access and security — This question tests Configuring access and security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: roles/logging.viewer — The roles/logging.viewer role grants read-only access to all logs in the Google Cloud organization, including audit logs, which is exactly what the third-party SIEM tool requires. This role allows the SIEM to ingest logs without the ability to modify or delete them, ensuring the principle of least privilege is maintained.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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