The answer is encrypting data at rest and in transit using appropriate algorithms. This is correct because HIPAA mandates that electronic protected health information (ePHI) must be rendered unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals, and Google Cloud meets this through server-side encryption (AES-256) for data at rest and TLS 1.2+ for data in transit, effectively neutralizing the risk of a breach. On the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam, this requirement often appears as a distractor paired with “use customer-managed encryption keys only” or “disable default encryption,” testing your understanding that Google’s default encryption already satisfies the Addressable Implementation Specification for encryption under the Security Rule. A common trap is assuming you must manually configure encryption for every service, but Cloud Storage and BigQuery encrypt by default. Memory tip: “Rest and Ride” — encrypt data at rest and data in ride (transit) to stay HIPAA compliant.
PCSE Supporting compliance requirements Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of supporting compliance requirements. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which THREE are requirements for HIPAA compliance when using Google Cloud? (Choose three.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable audit logging for all PHI-related activities
Option C is correct because HIPAA requires covered entities to implement audit controls that record and examine access and other activity in information systems that contain or use electronic protected health information (ePHI). In Google Cloud, enabling audit logging for all PHI-related activities, such as via Cloud Audit Logs (Admin Activity, Data Access, and System Event logs), satisfies this requirement by providing an immutable, tamper-evident record of who accessed what data and when.
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 Dedicated Interconnect for network connectivity
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated Interconnect is not a HIPAA requirement; VPN or other connections are acceptable.
✗
Enable Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for all data
Why it's wrong here
DLP is a tool for classifying data but is not a HIPAA requirement.
✓
Enable audit logging for all PHI-related activities
Why this is correct
Audit logs are necessary to track access and changes to PHI.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with Google
Why this is correct
A BAA is required for HIPAA to outline responsibilities for PHI protection.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Encrypt data at rest and in transit using appropriate algorithms
Why this is correct
Encryption is a fundamental security safeguard for PHI.
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 misconception that HIPAA mandates specific technologies (like Dedicated Interconnect or DLP for all data), when in reality HIPAA is technology-neutral and focuses on implementing reasonable and appropriate safeguards, such as encryption and audit logging.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Google Cloud Audit Logs capture three categories of logs: Admin Activity logs (always enabled, track configuration changes), Data Access logs (must be explicitly enabled, track reads/writes to PHI resources), and System Event logs (track GCP infrastructure actions). For HIPAA compliance, Data Access logs are critical because they record every API call that reads or modifies ePHI, including the identity of the caller, timestamp, and resource affected. In a real-world scenario, if a healthcare application stores PHI in Cloud Storage, enabling Data Access logs on the bucket allows auditors to verify that only authorized personnel accessed patient records, satisfying the HIPAA audit control standard.
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: Enable audit logging for all PHI-related activities — Option C is correct because HIPAA requires covered entities to implement audit controls that record and examine access and other activity in information systems that contain or use electronic protected health information (ePHI). In Google Cloud, enabling audit logging for all PHI-related activities, such as via Cloud Audit Logs (Admin Activity, Data Access, and System Event logs), satisfies this requirement by providing an immutable, tamper-evident record of who accessed what data and when.
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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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.
Question Discussion
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