Google PCA Designing for Security and Compliance Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of designing for security and compliance. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 financial services company runs workloads on GKE and wants to ensure only container images that have been approved by the security team can be deployed. The approval process involves signing images after vulnerability scanning. Which GCP service should be integrated with GKE to enforce this policy?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Binary Authorization
Binary Authorization enforces that only signed container images from trusted authorities can be deployed on GKE. It integrates with Cloud KMS for signing and can be configured with attestors.
Key principle: Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Cloud Key Management Service (Cloud KMS)
Why it's wrong here
Cloud KMS manages encryption keys but does not enforce deployment policies.
✗
Cloud Build
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Build builds and signs images, but does not enforce deployment restrictions.
✗
Artifact Registry
Why it's wrong here
Artifact Registry stores container images but does not enforce deployment policies.
✓
Binary Authorization
Why this is correct
Binary Authorization allows only signed images from approved authorities to be deployed.
Related concept
Authentication checks who the user is.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PCA question in full detail.
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related PCA questions on access control and AAA configuration.
Designing for Security and Compliance — This question tests Designing for Security and Compliance — Authentication checks who the user is..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Binary Authorization — Binary Authorization enforces that only signed container images from trusted authorities can be deployed on GKE. It integrates with Cloud KMS for signing and can be configured with attestors.
What should I do if I get this PCA 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 PCA questions on access control and AAA configuration.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Authentication checks who the user is.
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Question Discussion
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