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Ensuring data protection →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

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.

Exhibit

{
  "bindings": [
    {
      "role": "roles/cloudkms.cryptoKeyEncrypter",
      "members": [
        "serviceAccount:my-sa@project.iam.gserviceaccount.com"
      ]
    },
    {
      "role": "roles/cloudkms.cryptoKeyDecrypter",
      "members": [
        "user:alice@example.com"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Refer to the exhibit. A security engineer has created this IAM policy for a Cloud KMS key. The service account my-sa is used by a Compute Engine VM to encrypt data before storing it in Cloud Storage. User alice needs to decrypt the data for analysis. Which statement is true?

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

Exhibit

{
  "bindings": [
    {
      "role": "roles/cloudkms.cryptoKeyEncrypter",
      "members": [
        "serviceAccount:my-sa@project.iam.gserviceaccount.com"
      ]
    },
    {
      "role": "roles/cloudkms.cryptoKeyDecrypter",
      "members": [
        "user:alice@example.com"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

A
User alice can both encrypt and decrypt.
Why wrong: Alice only has the decrypt role.
B
User alice needs the Cloud KMS CryptoKeyEncrypter role to encrypt.
Why wrong: Alice does not have the encrypt role, but the statement is about what is needed; she cannot encrypt currently.
C
The service account can encrypt but cannot decrypt.
It has only the CryptoKeyEncrypter role.
D
The service account can both encrypt and decrypt.
Why wrong: It only has the encrypt role.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

The service account can encrypt but cannot decrypt.

The IAM policy grants the service account my-sa the Cloud KMS CryptoKey Encrypter role, which allows it to encrypt but not decrypt. User alice is granted the Cloud KMS CryptoKey Decrypter role, which allows her to decrypt but not encrypt. Therefore, the service account can only encrypt, and user alice can only decrypt, making option C correct.

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.

✗
User alice can both encrypt and decrypt.
Why it's wrong here
Alice only has the decrypt role.
✗
User alice needs the Cloud KMS CryptoKeyEncrypter role to encrypt.
Why it's wrong here
Alice does not have the encrypt role, but the statement is about what is needed; she cannot encrypt currently.
✓
The service account can encrypt but cannot decrypt.
Why this is correct
It has only the CryptoKeyEncrypter role.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The service account can both encrypt and decrypt.
Why it's wrong here
It only has the encrypt role.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Google Cloud often tests the misconception that a service account used for encryption must also be able to decrypt, or that a user with decrypt permissions can also encrypt, when in fact Cloud KMS enforces strict role separation between encrypt and decrypt operations.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Cloud KMS uses separate roles for encryption and decryption to enforce the principle of least privilege. The CryptoKey Encrypter role grants the `cloudkms.cryptoKeyVersions.useToEncrypt` permission, while the CryptoKey Decrypter role grants `cloudkms.cryptoKeyVersions.useToDecrypt`. In practice, this separation is critical for compliance scenarios (e.g., GDPR) where a service that writes encrypted data should never be able to read it back in plaintext, preventing data exfiltration even if the VM is compromised.

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?

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: The service account can encrypt but cannot decrypt. — The IAM policy grants the service account my-sa the Cloud KMS CryptoKey Encrypter role, which allows it to encrypt but not decrypt. User alice is granted the Cloud KMS CryptoKey Decrypter role, which allows her to decrypt but not encrypt. Therefore, the service account can only encrypt, and user alice can only decrypt, making option C correct.

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

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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.