The correct approach is to use a Cloud KMS key with an automatic rotation period of 30 days and disable old key versions after 90 days. This works because Cloud KMS automatic key rotation with version lifecycle allows you to set a rotation schedule that creates new primary key versions at defined intervals, while a lifecycle policy can automatically disable older versions after a specified duration. On the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding that disabling—not deleting—old key versions preserves them for decryption of existing data, meeting compliance requirements without breaking access. A common trap is confusing deletion with disabling; remember that disabled keys still decrypt data but cannot encrypt new data. The memory tip is “Rotate to create, disable to retain”—the rotation period handles creation, and the lifecycle policy handles retention.
PCSE Ensuring data protection Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of ensuring data protection. 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 company uses Cloud KMS to protect encryption keys for their Cloud SQL databases. They want to rotate keys every 30 days and ensure that old keys are retained for at least 90 days. What is the recommended approach?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use a Cloud KMS key with automatic rotation period of 30 days and disable old key versions after 90 days.
Option C is correct because Cloud KMS supports automatic key rotation with a configurable period (e.g., 30 days), which creates new key versions automatically. To meet the 90-day retention requirement, you can disable old key versions after 90 days using the key version lifecycle policy, ensuring they are not used for encryption but remain available for decryption of older data.
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.
✗
Use a Cloud KMS key with manual rotation every 30 days and keep all key versions indefinitely.
Why it's wrong here
Manual rotation is error-prone and indefinite retention is not required.
✗
Use Cloud HSM to generate a key and set key version lifecycle to disable after 90 days.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud HSM does not handle automatic rotation.
✓
Use a Cloud KMS key with automatic rotation period of 30 days and disable old key versions after 90 days.
Why this is correct
Automatic rotation and disabling old versions satisfies both requirements.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use customer-supplied encryption keys (CSEK) and rotate them manually.
Why it's wrong here
CSEK is not for Cloud SQL and requires manual management.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between automatic rotation (which creates new versions) and key version lifecycle (which manages old versions), and the trap here is assuming that automatic rotation alone handles retention, when in fact you must explicitly configure lifecycle policies to disable or destroy old versions after a specified period.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud KMS automatic rotation creates a new key version at the specified interval (e.g., 30 days) and automatically sets the primary version to the newest one. The key version lifecycle policy allows you to disable or destroy old versions after a set number of days, but note that disabling a version prevents it from being used for encryption while still allowing decryption of data encrypted with that version. In a real-world scenario, if you destroy a key version too early, you may permanently lose access to data encrypted with that version, so the 90-day retention window ensures compliance with common data retention policies.
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 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. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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.
Ensuring data protection — This question tests Ensuring data protection — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use a Cloud KMS key with automatic rotation period of 30 days and disable old key versions after 90 days. — Option C is correct because Cloud KMS supports automatic key rotation with a configurable period (e.g., 30 days), which creates new key versions automatically. To meet the 90-day retention requirement, you can disable old key versions after 90 days using the key version lifecycle policy, ensuring they are not used for encryption but remain available for decryption of older data.
What should I do if I get this PCSE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "least". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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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