- A
Remove the organization policy and implement firewall rules at the project level only.
Why wrong: This violates the requirement of the organization policy.
- B
Create a project-level firewall policy with a priority higher than the organization policy's deny rule, allowing the specific source range.
In hierarchical firewall policies, lower priority numbers take precedence. A project-level rule with a higher priority (lower number) than the organization's deny rule will be evaluated first and allow the traffic.
- C
Use VPC firewall rules instead of hierarchical policies to allow the range, as they are evaluated after hierarchical policies.
Why wrong: VPC firewall rules are evaluated after hierarchical policies, but if the hierarchical policy denies, the traffic is already denied before reaching VPC rules.
- D
Add the external IP range to an exception list in the organization policy.
Why wrong: Organization policies in firewall hierarchy do not have exception lists; you must create separate rules.
Quick Answer
The answer is to create a project-level firewall policy rule with a higher priority than the organization policy’s deny rule, allowing the specific external IP range. This works because Google Cloud evaluates hierarchical firewall policies based on priority, where a lower numeric value indicates higher precedence. When a project-level rule is assigned a priority of 100 and the organization-level deny rule has a priority of 1000, the allow rule overrides the deny for that specific traffic, effectively creating a hierarchical firewall policy override with higher priority project-level rule. On the Google Professional Cloud Network Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of policy inheritance and priority evaluation across organization, folder, and project levels. A common trap is confusing VPC firewall rules with hierarchical policies—remember that hierarchical policies always take precedence over VPC rules, but within the hierarchy itself, priority determines the winner. Memory tip: think of it as “lower number wins the crown” in the hierarchical stack.
PCNE Implementing network security Practice Question
This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of implementing network security. 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 large enterprise uses hierarchical firewall policies across multiple VPCs. They have an organization policy that requires all VPCs to block SSH from the internet. However, a development team needs SSH from a specific external IP range for a building. How can they create a firewall rule that allows that range without violating the organization policy?
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
Create a project-level firewall policy with a priority higher than the organization policy's deny rule, allowing the specific source range.
In Google Cloud, hierarchical firewall policies are evaluated before VPC firewall rules, and the effective rule is the one with the highest priority (lowest numeric value). By creating a project-level firewall policy rule with a higher priority (e.g., priority 100) than the organization policy's deny rule (e.g., priority 1000), the allow rule for the specific external IP range will take precedence, effectively overriding the deny for that traffic while keeping the organization policy intact.
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.
- ✗
Remove the organization policy and implement firewall rules at the project level only.
Why it's wrong here
This violates the requirement of the organization policy.
- ✓
Create a project-level firewall policy with a priority higher than the organization policy's deny rule, allowing the specific source range.
Why this is correct
In hierarchical firewall policies, lower priority numbers take precedence. A project-level rule with a higher priority (lower number) than the organization's deny rule will be evaluated first and allow the traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use VPC firewall rules instead of hierarchical policies to allow the range, as they are evaluated after hierarchical policies.
Why it's wrong here
VPC firewall rules are evaluated after hierarchical policies, but if the hierarchical policy denies, the traffic is already denied before reaching VPC rules.
- ✗
Add the external IP range to an exception list in the organization policy.
Why it's wrong here
Organization policies in firewall hierarchy do not have exception lists; you must create separate rules.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that VPC firewall rules are evaluated after hierarchical policies and can override them, but in reality, hierarchical policies are evaluated first and their deny rules will block traffic unless a higher-priority allow rule exists within the hierarchical policy hierarchy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Hierarchical firewall policies in Google Cloud are evaluated in a strict order: organization-level policies first, then folder-level, then project-level. Within each level, rules are evaluated by priority (lower number = higher priority). When a packet matches both an allow and a deny rule, the rule with the highest priority (lowest numeric value) wins, regardless of whether it is an allow or deny. This allows granular exceptions by placing a higher-priority allow rule at a lower level (e.g., project) that matches the specific source range, while the broader deny remains in place for all other traffic.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCNE question test?
Implementing network security — This question tests Implementing network security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a project-level firewall policy with a priority higher than the organization policy's deny rule, allowing the specific source range. — In Google Cloud, hierarchical firewall policies are evaluated before VPC firewall rules, and the effective rule is the one with the highest priority (lowest numeric value). By creating a project-level firewall policy rule with a higher priority (e.g., priority 100) than the organization policy's deny rule (e.g., priority 1000), the allow rule for the specific external IP range will take precedence, effectively overriding the deny for that traffic while keeping the organization policy intact.
What should I do if I get this PCNE 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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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This PCNE 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 PCNE exam.
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