Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer Practice Exam

Which option is best to configure to restrict unauthorized access to Google Cloud resources?

1. Service Account User roles

2. Network Tags

3. Firewall Rules

4. IAM Policies

The correct answer is: IAM Policies

To effectively restrict unauthorized access to Google Cloud resources, configuring IAM (Identity and Access Management) Policies is essential. IAM Policies allow you to define fine-grained permissions for users, service accounts, and groups within your Google Cloud environment. By assigning specific roles to users or service accounts, you customize who can access particular resources and what actions they can perform on those resources. IAM Policies enable a principle of least privilege, meaning that users are granted only permissions necessary for their role, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Moreover, IAM allows for hierarchical roles, meaning that permissions can be set at the organization, folder, or project level, creating a structured approach to resource security. While Service Account User roles can help manage access for specific service accounts, they do not provide the comprehensive permissions management that IAM Policies do. Network Tags and Firewall Rules are useful for controlling network access and managing traffic to and from virtual machines but do not directly regulate user permissions at the resource level. Therefore, IAM Policies represent the best choice for restricting unauthorized access to Google Cloud resources.