Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer Practice Exam

What feature can be used to control access to a GCP environment for certain resources?

1. Identity and Access Management (IAM)

2. Public Access Prevention

3. Google Cloud Audit Logs

4. Firewall Rules

The correct answer is: Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a crucial feature in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) that allows administrators to manage access to resources. IAM provides fine-grained access control by enabling users to define who (identity) has what access (roles) to which resources. This means that an organization can specify the permissions that individuals or groups have for different GCP services and resources, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data or perform critical actions. Using IAM, organizations can create customized roles with specific permissions tailored to their needs, establish policies that govern access, and audit permissions to maintain security compliance. This capability is essential in maintaining the principle of least privilege, where users only have the access necessary to perform their job functions, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorized access or accidental mishandling of data. While Public Access Prevention helps limit the exposure of resources to the internet, it does not manage user permissions. Google Cloud Audit Logs track activities in the environment but do not dictate access control. Similarly, Firewall Rules are used to configure network traffic filters but do not control individual user access to resources. Thus, IAM stands out as the feature specifically designed to manage access permissions effectively within a GCP environment.