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GCDL Practice Question: A security audit finds that a company's…
This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of a security audit finds that a company's…. 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 finds that a company's application service accounts have been granted broad IAM roles (e.g., Storage Admin on the entire project) when they only need to read specific Cloud Storage buckets. The auditor recommends following the principle of least privilege. What is the most precise way to implement this for the Cloud Storage use case?
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.
A
Distractor review
Grant the Storage Admin role at the project level but add a condition that limits it to specific operations
IAM conditions can restrict by resource name or time, but starting with Storage Admin (which includes delete and create bucket permissions) and trying to narrow it is harder and more error-prone than starting with a minimal role at the resource level.
B
Distractor review
Create a custom IAM role that combines all permissions from all predefined roles but removes the most dangerous ones
Starting from all permissions and removing dangerous ones is the opposite of least privilege — it's more likely to leave excessive permissions than starting from a minimal set and adding only what's needed.
C
Best answer
Grant Storage Object Viewer (read-only) at the specific bucket level for each service account that needs read access — not at the project level
This is the most precise least-privilege implementation. Storage Object Viewer grants read access to objects within a bucket. Binding it at the bucket level (not project) means the service account can only read from that specific bucket — not create buckets, not access other buckets, not delete objects. This minimizes blast radius if the service account is compromised.
D
Distractor review
Use the same broad Storage Admin role but rotate the service account key every 90 days to reduce the window of exposure
Key rotation reduces credential exposure time but doesn't address the core problem: the service account has far more permissions than it needs. A compromised credential within the 90-day window still has full Storage Admin access. Least privilege reduces blast radius; rotation reduces exposure duration — both are needed, but least privilege must be addressed first.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Authentication checks who the user is.
- Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
- Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
- AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
- Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
- Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
- Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
Key takeaway
Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
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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?
Authentication checks who the user is.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Grant Storage Object Viewer (read-only) at the specific bucket level for each service account that needs read access — not at the project level — The most precise least-privilege implementation for Cloud Storage is to grant the Storage Object Viewer role (or Storage Object Admin if writes are needed) at the specific bucket level, not at the project level. IAM in Google Cloud supports resource-level bindings: instead of 'Storage Admin on project' (which grants full control over all buckets), bind 'Storage Object Viewer on bucket X' — granting read access to only the specific bucket the service account needs.
What should I do if I get this GCDL question wrong?
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related GCDL questions on access control and AAA configuration.
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