This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of ensuring data protection. 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 Google Cloud services can encrypt data at rest?
Cloud CDN
Why wrong: Cloud CDN is a content delivery network without its own storage encryption.
Cloud Storage
Cloud Storage encrypts objects at rest by default.
Cloud SQL
Cloud SQL encrypts data at rest automatically.
Cloud Functions
Why wrong: Cloud Functions does not have persistent storage; it uses other services.
Cloud KMS
Cloud KMS can encrypt small amounts of data directly.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Cloud Storage
Cloud Storage encrypts data at rest by default using server-side encryption (SSE) with either Google-managed keys or customer-managed keys via Cloud KMS. This ensures that all objects stored in buckets are encrypted before being written to disk, protecting data from unauthorized access at the storage layer.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Cloud CDN
Why it's wrong here
Cloud CDN is a content delivery network without its own storage encryption.
Cloud Storage
Why this is correct
Cloud Storage encrypts objects at rest by default.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Cloud SQL
Why this is correct
Cloud SQL encrypts data at rest automatically.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Cloud Functions
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Functions does not have persistent storage; it uses other services.
Cloud KMS
Why this is correct
Cloud KMS can encrypt small amounts of data directly.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that all Google Cloud services automatically encrypt data at rest, but services like Cloud CDN and Cloud Functions do not provide native at-rest encryption themselves; they rely on underlying storage services for that capability.
Detailed technical explanation
Cloud Storage uses AES-256 encryption by default, with keys managed by Google (SSE-GMS) or by the customer via Cloud KMS (SSE-CMEK). Cloud SQL encrypts data at rest using AES-256 with Google-managed keys or customer-managed keys via Cloud KMS, and also supports transparent data encryption (TDE) for MySQL and PostgreSQL. Cloud KMS itself is a key management service that stores and manages encryption keys, which are encrypted at rest using hardware security modules (HSMs) compliant with FIPS 140-2 Level 3.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Ensuring data protection — This question tests Ensuring data protection — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Cloud Storage — Cloud Storage encrypts data at rest by default using server-side encryption (SSE) with either Google-managed keys or customer-managed keys via Cloud KMS. This ensures that all objects stored in buckets are encrypted before being written to disk, protecting data from unauthorized access at the storage layer.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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