- A
Enable Data Access audit logs for all Cloud Storage buckets.
Why wrong: Audit logs are important but do not directly protect cardholder data.
- B
Use Security Command Center to detect misconfigurations.
Why wrong: SCC provides visibility but is not a direct control to protect data.
- C
Configure VPC Service Controls to restrict data movement from managed services.
VPC Service Controls help prevent unauthorized data exfiltration, a PCI DSS requirement.
- D
Enable Shielded VMs on all Compute Engine instances.
Why wrong: Shielded VMs protect against boot-level attacks but are not specifically required for PCI DSS data protection.
- E
Use Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK) to encrypt data at rest.
CMEK allows control over encryption keys, meeting PCI DSS key management requirements.
Quick Answer
The correct answers are VPC Service Controls and Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK). VPC Service Controls establish a security perimeter around managed services like BigQuery and Cloud Storage, preventing data exfiltration by blocking unauthorized data movement outside that boundary—a critical control for PCI DSS requirement 3.4, which mandates rendering cardholder data unreadable. CMEK fulfills this same requirement by giving you direct control over the encryption keys protecting data at rest, ensuring that even Google cannot access your keys. On the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between network-level exfiltration prevention (VPC Service Controls) and cryptographic key management (CMEK), two distinct but complementary PCI DSS data protection controls. A common trap is confusing CMEK with CSEK (customer-supplied encryption keys), but remember: CMEK gives you key management via Cloud KMS, while CSEK requires you to supply keys on every operation. Memory tip: “Perimeter plus key” equals PCI compliance—VPC Service Controls lock the door, CMEK locks the safe.
PCSE Supporting compliance requirements Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of supporting compliance requirements. 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 financial services company must ensure that its Google Cloud environment complies with PCI DSS. The security team needs to implement controls to protect cardholder data. Which TWO measures should they implement? (Choose TWO.)
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
Configure VPC Service Controls to restrict data movement from managed services.
C is correct because VPC Service Controls create a security perimeter around Google Cloud managed services, preventing data exfiltration by restricting data movement from within the perimeter to unauthorized external networks. This is critical for PCI DSS compliance as it helps protect cardholder data from unauthorized access or transfer. E is correct because Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK) allow the organization to control and manage the encryption keys used to protect data at rest, meeting PCI DSS requirement 3.4 for rendering cardholder data unreadable.
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 all Cloud Storage buckets.
Why it's wrong here
Audit logs are important but do not directly protect cardholder data.
- ✗
Use Security Command Center to detect misconfigurations.
Why it's wrong here
SCC provides visibility but is not a direct control to protect data.
- ✓
Configure VPC Service Controls to restrict data movement from managed services.
Why this is correct
VPC Service Controls help prevent unauthorized data exfiltration, a PCI DSS requirement.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable Shielded VMs on all Compute Engine instances.
Why it's wrong here
Shielded VMs protect against boot-level attacks but are not specifically required for PCI DSS data protection.
- ✓
Use Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK) to encrypt data at rest.
Why this is correct
CMEK allows control over encryption keys, meeting PCI DSS key management requirements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between detective controls (like audit logs and Security Command Center) and preventive controls (like VPC Service Controls and CMEK), leading candidates to mistakenly select logging or detection options as direct compliance measures.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VPC Service Controls use context-aware access policies that evaluate attributes like identity, device, and IP address to enforce data exfiltration prevention at the Google Cloud perimeter. CMEK integrates with Google Cloud Key Management Service (KMS) and allows customers to manage key rotation, disablement, and destruction independently of Google, ensuring compliance with PCI DSS requirement 3.5 for key management. A real-world scenario is a financial company using VPC Service Controls to prevent a compromised service account from copying cardholder data from BigQuery to an external bucket, while CMEK ensures that even if storage media is compromised, the data remains encrypted with customer-controlled keys.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCSE question test?
Supporting compliance requirements — This question tests Supporting compliance requirements — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure VPC Service Controls to restrict data movement from managed services. — C is correct because VPC Service Controls create a security perimeter around Google Cloud managed services, preventing data exfiltration by restricting data movement from within the perimeter to unauthorized external networks. This is critical for PCI DSS compliance as it helps protect cardholder data from unauthorized access or transfer. E is correct because Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK) allow the organization to control and manage the encryption keys used to protect data at rest, meeting PCI DSS requirement 3.4 for rendering cardholder data unreadable.
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.
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 PCSE 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 PCSE exam.
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