← GCDL·Google Cloud

Question 152 of 507

Trust and security with Google Cloud →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is the principle of least privilege, which the security team enforces by granting only the minimum permissions necessary for the developer’s specific role and tasks. This principle dictates that no user should receive broader access than required to perform their job, thereby reducing the risk of accidental or malicious misuse of elevated permissions. In Google Cloud IAM, this is implemented by assigning predefined or custom roles with precisely scoped permissions rather than broad roles like Owner, which grant near-unrestricted control over all resources. On the Google Cloud Digital Leader exam, this concept tests your understanding of how IAM roles map to security best practices, often appearing in scenarios where a request for an overly permissive role is denied in favor of a more specific one. A common trap is assuming that convenience justifies broad access, but the exam emphasizes that least privilege is a foundational security control. Remember the mnemonic “LOP” — Least, Only, Precise — to recall that permissions should be the least required, only for the task, and precisely scoped.

Cloud Digital Leader Trust and security with Google Cloud Practice Question

This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of trust and security with google cloud. 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 team is reviewing a developer's request to be granted the 'Owner' role on a production Google Cloud project 'just in case they need broad access.' The security team rejects this and instead grants a more specific role. Which security principle does the security team's decision enforce?

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
Defense in depth, by ensuring multiple security layers protect the project
Why wrong: Defense in depth is a layered security strategy. While related to overall security posture, the specific decision to reject an overly broad role in favor of minimum necessary permissions is the Principle of Least Privilege.
B
Separation of duties, by ensuring no single person has too many responsibilities
Why wrong: Separation of duties requires that different people perform conflicting tasks (e.g., one person initiates a transaction, another approves it). The scenario is about permission scope (breadth), not task separation.
C
Principle of least privilege, by granting only the minimum permissions necessary for the developer's specific role and tasks
The Principle of Least Privilege is the core concept here. Owner role is far broader than necessary. By granting a specific role matching actual requirements, the security team limits the blast radius if the developer's account is compromised and reduces the risk of accidental destructive actions.
D
Zero trust networking, by treating the developer's device as untrusted
Why wrong: Zero trust is about network and device trust — never trust, always verify regardless of location. The scenario is about IAM permission scoping, not network trust model.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Principle of least privilege, by granting only the minimum permissions necessary for the developer's specific role and tasks

The security team's decision to reject the overly broad 'Owner' role and grant a more specific role directly enforces the principle of least privilege. This principle dictates that users should be granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their job functions, reducing the risk of accidental or malicious misuse of elevated access. In Google Cloud, this is implemented by assigning predefined or custom IAM roles with precisely scoped permissions rather than broad roles like Owner.

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.

✗
Defense in depth, by ensuring multiple security layers protect the project
Why it's wrong here
Defense in depth is a layered security strategy. While related to overall security posture, the specific decision to reject an overly broad role in favor of minimum necessary permissions is the Principle of Least Privilege.
✗
Separation of duties, by ensuring no single person has too many responsibilities
Why it's wrong here
Separation of duties requires that different people perform conflicting tasks (e.g., one person initiates a transaction, another approves it). The scenario is about permission scope (breadth), not task separation.
✓
Principle of least privilege, by granting only the minimum permissions necessary for the developer's specific role and tasks
Why this is correct
The Principle of Least Privilege is the core concept here. Owner role is far broader than necessary. By granting a specific role matching actual requirements, the security team limits the blast radius if the developer's account is compromised and reduces the risk of accidental destructive actions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Zero trust networking, by treating the developer's device as untrusted
Why it's wrong here
Zero trust is about network and device trust — never trust, always verify regardless of location. The scenario is about IAM permission scoping, not network trust model.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Google Cloud often tests the principle of least privilege by presenting a scenario where a broad role is requested 'just in case,' and candidates may confuse it with separation of duties or defense in depth, but the key is that the decision limits permissions to the minimum needed for the task.

Trap categories for this question

Scenario analysis trap
Separation of duties requires that different people perform conflicting tasks (e.g., one person initiates a transaction, another approves it). The scenario is about permission scope (breadth), not task separation.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, Google Cloud IAM roles are collections of permissions defined in a policy binding that attaches to a principal (user, group, or service account). The principle of least privilege is enforced by using predefined roles like 'roles/bigquery.dataViewer' instead of 'roles/owner', which includes over 2,000 permissions. In practice, a developer needing read access to a specific dataset should be granted only that role, preventing them from modifying IAM policies, deleting resources, or accessing other projects—a common source of accidental outages or data leaks.

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.

Related GCDL practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Why cloud technology is transforming business practice questions

Practise GCDL questions linked to Why cloud technology is transforming business.

Fundamental cloud concepts practice questions

Practise GCDL questions linked to Fundamental cloud concepts.

Google Cloud products, services, and solutions practice questions

Practise GCDL questions linked to Google Cloud products, services, and solutions.

Scaling with Google Cloud operations practice questions

Practise GCDL questions linked to Scaling with Google Cloud operations.

Trust and security with Google Cloud practice questions

Practise GCDL questions linked to Trust and security with Google Cloud.

GCDL fundamentals practice questions

Practise GCDL questions linked to GCDL fundamentals.

GCDL scenario practice questions

Practise GCDL questions linked to GCDL scenario.

GCDL troubleshooting practice questions

Practise GCDL questions linked to GCDL troubleshooting.

Practice this exam

Start a free GCDL practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

GCDL practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this GCDL question test?

Trust and security with Google Cloud — This question tests Trust and security with Google Cloud — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Principle of least privilege, by granting only the minimum permissions necessary for the developer's specific role and tasks — The security team's decision to reject the overly broad 'Owner' role and grant a more specific role directly enforces the principle of least privilege. This principle dictates that users should be granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their job functions, reducing the risk of accidental or malicious misuse of elevated access. In Google Cloud, this is implemented by assigning predefined or custom IAM roles with precisely scoped permissions rather than broad roles like Owner.

What should I do if I get this GCDL 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.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Keep practising

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

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.