The answer is that the organization policy restricts service account keys, not SSH keys, so developers can still upload their own public SSH keys to Compute Engine instances. This is because the 'Disable service account key upload' constraint (iam.disableServiceAccountKeyUpload) specifically blocks the creation or uploading of external service account keys, which are JSON or P12 credentials used for programmatic authentication by applications. In contrast, SSH keys are managed through separate metadata-based mechanisms, such as OS Login or instance-level metadata, and are not governed by this IAM policy. On the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this tests your ability to distinguish between different types of keys and their respective policy scopes—a common trap is conflating service account key management with user authentication methods. Remember the memory tip: "Service keys for apps, SSH keys for admins"—the policy only locks down the former, leaving the latter unaffected.
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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
Exhibit: Contents of an organization policy constraint JSON applied to a folder:
```json
{
"name": "organizations/123456789/policies/iam.disableServiceAccountKeyUpload",
"spec": {
"rules": [
{
"enforce": true
}
]
}
}
```
A security engineer notices that some developers are still uploading their own public SSH keys to Compute Engine instances despite the organization policy above being applied to the folder. What is the most likely reason?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The policy disables uploading service account keys, not user SSH keys.
Option C is correct because the organization policy described likely restricts the uploading of service account keys, not user SSH keys. The policy in question is typically the 'Disable service account key upload' constraint (iam.disableServiceAccountKeyUpload), which prevents users from creating or uploading external service account keys. It does not affect the ability to add public SSH keys to Compute Engine instances, which is governed by separate metadata-based mechanisms (e.g., oslogin or instance metadata). Therefore, developers can still upload their own SSH keys despite the policy being applied.
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.
✗
The policy only applies to projects, not folders.
Why it's wrong here
Policies can be applied to folders.
✗
The policy takes 24 hours to propagate to all projects.
Why it's wrong here
Policy propagation is quick, not 24 hours.
✓
The policy disables uploading service account keys, not user SSH keys.
Why this is correct
The policy name indicates it's for service account keys, not SSH keys.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The policy was applied at the organization level, not the folder level.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows it applied to the folder, but the issue is unrelated.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'keys' in general (SSH keys vs. service account keys) and assume a policy restricting key uploads applies to all key types, when in fact it only targets service account key operations.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The exhibit shows it applied to the folder, but the issue is unrelated.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The 'Disable service account key upload' constraint is defined in the Organization Policy Service using the boolean constraint `iam.disableServiceAccountKeyUpload`. When enabled, it blocks the `iam.serviceAccounts.keys.create` and `iam.serviceAccounts.keys.upload` methods. SSH key management for Compute Engine instances is handled via project or instance metadata (e.g., `ssh-keys` key) or through OS Login, which uses IAM permissions like `compute.osLogin`. These are entirely separate from service account key operations, so the policy has no effect on SSH key uploads. In practice, a common misconfiguration is to assume that a blanket 'key upload' restriction covers all key types, but Google Cloud distinguishes between service account keys (JSON/P12) and user SSH 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 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.
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.
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: The policy disables uploading service account keys, not user SSH keys. — Option C is correct because the organization policy described likely restricts the uploading of service account keys, not user SSH keys. The policy in question is typically the 'Disable service account key upload' constraint (iam.disableServiceAccountKeyUpload), which prevents users from creating or uploading external service account keys. It does not affect the ability to add public SSH keys to Compute Engine instances, which is governed by separate metadata-based mechanisms (e.g., oslogin or instance metadata). Therefore, developers can still upload their own SSH keys despite the policy being applied.
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: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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