Google PCA Design for security and compliance Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of design for security and compliance. 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 company uses Cloud KMS to encrypt sensitive data. They need to ensure that encryption key usage is audited and that keys are rotated automatically every 30 days. Which two actions should they take? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable Data Access audit logs for the Cloud KMS API
Option A is correct because enabling Data Access audit logs for the Cloud KMS API captures detailed information about every encryption key usage, including who accessed the key, when, and what operation was performed. This meets the auditing requirement by recording all key usage events in Cloud Audit Logs, which can be reviewed for compliance and security analysis.
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.
✓
Enable Data Access audit logs for the Cloud KMS API
Why this is correct
Data Access audit logs record every encrypt/decrypt operation for compliance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create a Cloud Trigger to manually rotate the key every month
Why it's wrong here
Manual rotation is not automatic and less reliable.
Use Cloud External Key Manager to rotate keys externally
Why it's wrong here
EKM is for external keys; not needed for automatic rotation.
✓
Enable key rotation on the key by setting a rotation period of 30 days
Why this is correct
Cloud KMS can automatically rotate keys based on the rotation period.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'key rotation' with 'key usage monitoring' or assume that manual triggers or external managers can satisfy the automatic rotation requirement, when in fact Cloud KMS provides a native rotation period setting that must be used.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud KMS key rotation works by creating a new key version (with a new cryptographic material) while retaining the old version for decryption of existing data. The rotation period is set at the key level using the `rotation_period` field (e.g., '2592000s' for 30 days), and the next rotation time is automatically calculated. Data Access audit logs must be explicitly enabled for the Cloud KMS API in the IAM & Admin console to capture per-key usage, as they are not enabled by default for all services.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
Design for security and compliance — This question tests Design for security and compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable Data Access audit logs for the Cloud KMS API — Option A is correct because enabling Data Access audit logs for the Cloud KMS API captures detailed information about every encryption key usage, including who accessed the key, when, and what operation was performed. This meets the auditing requirement by recording all key usage events in Cloud Audit Logs, which can be reviewed for compliance and security analysis.
What should I do if I get this PCA 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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Question Discussion
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