Container supply chain security in GCP - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding Container Image Vulnerability Scanning

Which of the following best describes the purpose of container image vulnerability scanning in a supply chain?

A It encrypts container images to prevent unauthorized access.

B It automatically updates container images to the latest version.

C It monitors container runtime performance metrics.

D It checks container images for known security issues before deployment.

💡 Hint

Think about what security scanning tools do before containers run.

Vulnerability scanning inspects container images for known security flaws before they are deployed, helping prevent vulnerable software from running.

❓ Architecture

intermediate

Securing Container Supply Chain with Binary Authorization

In Google Cloud, which component enforces that only trusted container images are deployed to GKE clusters?

A Cloud CDN

B Cloud Armor

C Binary Authorization

D Cloud Functions

💡 Hint

Consider the service that controls image deployment policies.

Binary Authorization enforces deployment policies ensuring only trusted container images are allowed to run on GKE clusters.

❓ Configuration

advanced

Identifying the Effect of a Binary Authorization Policy

Given this Binary Authorization policy snippet, what will happen if an image is not signed by the trusted authority?

{
  "defaultAdmissionRule": {
    "enforcementMode": "ENFORCED",
    "requireAttestationsBy": ["projects/my-project/attestors/my-attestor"]
  }
}

A The image will deploy but with a warning logged.

B The image deployment will be blocked by Binary Authorization.

C The image will deploy without any checks.

D The image will be automatically signed by Binary Authorization.

💡 Hint

What does enforcementMode ENFORCED imply?

With enforcementMode set to ENFORCED and required attestations specified, images not signed by the trusted attestor will be blocked from deployment.

❓ service_behavior

advanced

Behavior of Container Analysis API in Supply Chain Security

What is the primary role of the Container Analysis API in Google Cloud's container supply chain security?

A It stores and retrieves metadata about container images, including vulnerability and attestation data.

B It automatically patches vulnerabilities in running containers.

C It encrypts container images stored in Container Registry.

D It manages container orchestration and scaling.

💡 Hint

Think about metadata and security information storage.

Container Analysis API provides a centralized place to store and access metadata like vulnerability reports and attestations for container images.

❓ security

expert

Impact of Missing Attestation in a Multi-Stage Supply Chain

In a multi-stage container supply chain using Binary Authorization, what is the impact if an intermediate build stage image lacks a required attestation?

A The final image deployment will be blocked because the supply chain integrity cannot be verified.

B Binary Authorization automatically generates missing attestations for intermediate images.

C The missing attestation is ignored if the final image is signed correctly.

D Only the intermediate image deployment is blocked; the final image deploys normally.

💡 Hint

Consider how Binary Authorization verifies the entire supply chain.

Binary Authorization requires attestations for all stages in the supply chain to ensure integrity. Missing attestations in intermediate stages cause deployment to be blocked.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of container supply chain security in Google Cloud?

easy

A. To automatically deploy containers to Kubernetes

B. To speed up container image downloads

C. To reduce the size of container images

D. To check every step from code to container for vulnerabilities

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand container supply chain security

   It focuses on protecting the app by verifying each step from code creation to container deployment.

2. Step 2: Identify the main goal

   The goal is to prevent vulnerabilities or bad code from reaching users by checking the entire build and deployment process.

3. Final Answer:

   To check every step from code to container for vulnerabilities -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Container supply chain security = check all steps [OK]

Hint: Focus on security checks from code to container [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it only speeds up downloads
• Confusing with image size optimization
• Assuming it automatically deploys containers

2. Which Google Cloud service is primarily used to build, scan, and sign container images automatically?

easy

A. Cloud Build

B. Cloud Storage

C. Cloud Functions

D. Cloud Run

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify service for building and scanning containers

   Cloud Build is designed to automate building, scanning, and signing container images.

2. Step 2: Exclude other services

   Cloud Storage stores data, Cloud Functions run code, Cloud Run deploys containers but does not build or scan images.

3. Final Answer:

   Cloud Build -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Build and scan containers = Cloud Build [OK]

Hint: Remember: Build and scan = Cloud Build [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Cloud Storage with build service
• Thinking Cloud Run builds images
• Assuming Cloud Functions handles container images

3. Given this Cloud Build YAML snippet, what will happen when the build runs?

steps:
- name: 'gcr.io/cloud-builders/docker'
  args: ['build', '-t', 'gcr.io/my-project/my-app', '.']
- name: 'gcr.io/cloud-builders/gcloud'
  args: ['container', 'images', 'scan', 'gcr.io/my-project/my-app']
images:
- 'gcr.io/my-project/my-app'

medium

A. Only builds the Docker image without scanning

B. Builds the Docker image and scans it for vulnerabilities

C. Scans the image before building it

D. Fails because scanning is not supported in Cloud Build

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the build steps

   The first step builds the Docker image tagged 'gcr.io/my-project/my-app'. The second step runs a scan on that image.

2. Step 2: Confirm scanning support

   Cloud Build supports scanning container images after building them using gcloud commands.

3. Final Answer:

   Builds the Docker image and scans it for vulnerabilities -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Build then scan = Builds the Docker image and scans it for vulnerabilities [OK]

Hint: Build first, then scan image in Cloud Build [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking scan happens before build
• Assuming scanning is unsupported
• Ignoring the order of steps

4. You wrote a Cloud Build config to scan container images, but the scan step fails with permission denied. What is the most likely fix?

medium

A. Change the image tag to a public registry

B. Increase the build timeout value

C. Grant Cloud Build service account the Container Analysis Viewer role

D. Remove the scan step from the build

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify cause of permission denied error

   Scanning container images requires permissions to access Container Analysis API data.

2. Step 2: Assign correct IAM role

   Granting the Cloud Build service account the Container Analysis Viewer role allows scanning without permission errors.

3. Final Answer:

   Grant Cloud Build service account the Container Analysis Viewer role -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Permission denied fix = assign Container Analysis Viewer role [OK]

Hint: Assign Container Analysis Viewer role to Cloud Build account [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Increasing timeout does not fix permissions
• Changing image tag won't fix permission errors
• Removing scan step avoids problem but loses security

5. You want to ensure only signed container images are deployed to your GKE cluster. Which combination of GCP features should you use to enforce this?

hard

A. Binary Authorization with Cloud Build signing images

B. Cloud Run with automatic image scanning

C. Cloud Storage to store images and IAM policies

D. Cloud Functions to trigger deployment after scanning

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand requirement for signed images enforcement

   Binary Authorization lets you enforce policies that only allow signed images to deploy to GKE.

2. Step 2: Use Cloud Build to sign images

   Cloud Build can build and sign container images automatically, integrating with Binary Authorization.

3. Step 3: Exclude other options

   Cloud Run and Cloud Functions do not enforce signed image deployment. Cloud Storage is for storage, not enforcement.

4. Final Answer:

   Binary Authorization with Cloud Build signing images -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Signed image enforcement = Binary Authorization + Cloud Build [OK]

Hint: Use Binary Authorization plus signed images from Cloud Build [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Cloud Run with enforcement tool
• Using Cloud Storage for enforcement
• Thinking Cloud Functions handle image signing