GCDL Practice Question: A startup is building a web application and wants…
This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of a startup is building a web application and wants…. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 startup is building a web application and wants to protect it from common web attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting. Which Google Cloud product provides web application firewall (WAF) capabilities?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Cloud Firewall, which controls network-level traffic based on IP and port rules
Cloud Firewall (VPC firewall rules) controls network traffic based on IP addresses, ports, and protocols. It operates at Layer 3/4 and cannot inspect HTTP request content to detect application-layer attacks like SQL injection or XSS.
Best answer
Cloud Armor, which provides WAF rules to detect and block SQL injection, XSS, and other OWASP Top 10 attacks
Cloud Armor is Google Cloud's WAF. It includes preconfigured rule sets for OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities including SQL injection and XSS, and operates at the application layer (Layer 7) where it can inspect HTTP requests. It also provides DDoS protection.
Distractor review
VPC Service Controls, which prevent data exfiltration from Google Cloud services
VPC Service Controls protect Google Cloud API services from unauthorized access and data exfiltration between projects. They don't inspect web application traffic for SQL injection or XSS attacks.
Distractor review
Security Command Center, which detects security misconfigurations across Google Cloud resources
Security Command Center provides security findings, threat detection, and vulnerability scanning for cloud configurations. It is not a WAF and does not inspect individual HTTP requests for application-layer attacks.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
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More questions from this exam
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Question 1
A traditional retailer currently maintains its own data centers, purchasing servers every 3–5 years and paying for facilities, power, and staff regardless of demand. When it migrates its workloads to the public cloud, which change in cost model does it experience?
Question 2
An e-commerce company plans its infrastructure for peak shopping events (e.g., Black Friday) which drive 50× normal traffic. On-premises, they must maintain 50× capacity year-round. In the cloud, they provision 50× capacity only during peak periods. Which cloud characteristic enables this cost optimization?
Question 3
Which term describes the process by which organizations integrate digital technology into all areas of their business, fundamentally changing how they operate and deliver value to customers?
Question 4
When a company moves from maintaining its own data center to using Google Cloud, which operational responsibility does Google assume that the company previously managed?
Question 5
A hospital runs a patient records system that must remain on-premises due to strict regulatory data residency requirements. However, they also want to use cloud-based AI for diagnostic imaging analysis. Which cloud deployment model best describes their architecture?
Question 6
What is virtualization in the context of cloud computing, and why is it fundamental to how cloud providers deliver services?
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this GCDL question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cloud Armor, which provides WAF rules to detect and block SQL injection, XSS, and other OWASP Top 10 attacks — Cloud Armor is Google Cloud's managed DDoS protection and web application firewall service. It provides preconfigured WAF rules (based on OWASP Top 10) that detect and block common web attacks including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and remote code execution. It is the primary WAF product in Google Cloud.
What should I do if I get this GCDL question wrong?
Identify which GCDL exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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This GCDL 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 GCDL exam.