Security best practices in GCP - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the principle of least privilege in cloud security?

It means giving users and services only the minimum access they need to do their job, nothing more. This reduces the risk of accidental or malicious damage.

beginner

Why should you enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your cloud accounts?

MFA adds an extra step to verify your identity, like a code from your phone, making it much harder for attackers to access your account even if they know your password.

intermediate

What is the purpose of using service accounts in GCP?

Service accounts let applications or virtual machines securely access other cloud services with specific permissions, instead of using user credentials.

intermediate

How does enabling audit logs help improve cloud security?

Audit logs record who did what and when in your cloud environment. This helps detect suspicious activity and investigate security incidents.

beginner

What is the benefit of encrypting data at rest and in transit?

Encryption scrambles data so only authorized users can read it. This protects sensitive information from being stolen or seen by attackers.

Which practice limits user access to only what is necessary?

A Audit logging

B Multi-factor authentication

C Principle of least privilege

D Data encryption

The principle of least privilege restricts access rights for users to the bare minimum needed.

What does enabling multi-factor authentication protect against?

A Password theft

B Data encryption

C Audit log creation

D Service account misuse

MFA protects accounts even if passwords are stolen by requiring an additional verification step.

What is a service account used for in GCP?

A To allow applications to access cloud services securely

B To store user passwords

C To encrypt data at rest

D To monitor network traffic

Service accounts provide identities for applications to access cloud resources with specific permissions.

Why are audit logs important in cloud security?

A They provide multi-factor authentication

B They encrypt data

C They restrict user access

D They record user actions for security monitoring

Audit logs help track and investigate activities to detect security issues.

Encrypting data in transit means:

A Logging user actions

B Protecting data while it moves between systems

C Limiting user access

D Storing data on a hard drive

Encryption in transit protects data from being intercepted during transfer.

Explain the key security best practices to protect cloud resources in GCP.

Think about access control, identity verification, monitoring, and data protection.

Describe how audit logs and encryption work together to improve cloud security.

Consider monitoring and protecting data as two layers of defense.

Practice

1. Which of the following is a key security best practice when managing access to Google Cloud resources?

easy

A. Give all users owner permissions for convenience

B. Assign the least privilege necessary using IAM roles

C. Share your service account keys publicly

D. Disable all logging to improve performance

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand IAM role assignment

   IAM roles control what users can do. Assigning least privilege means giving only the permissions needed.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for security

   Giving owner permissions broadly or sharing keys publicly risks unauthorized access. Disabling logging hides important audit info.

3. Final Answer:

   Assign the least privilege necessary using IAM roles -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Least privilege = Assign minimal permissions [OK]

Hint: Always give only needed permissions, never more [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Giving broad permissions for convenience
• Sharing keys or credentials publicly
• Disabling audit logs

2. Which of the following is the correct way to encrypt data in Google Cloud using Cloud KMS?

easy

A. Use Cloud KMS to generate encryption keys and encrypt data with those keys

B. Store encryption keys in plaintext in Cloud Storage

C. Encrypt data manually without using Cloud KMS

D. Disable encryption to improve speed

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Cloud KMS role

   Cloud KMS manages encryption keys securely and helps encrypt/decrypt data safely.

2. Step 2: Evaluate encryption methods

   Storing keys in plaintext or disabling encryption risks data exposure. Manual encryption is error-prone.

3. Final Answer:

   Use Cloud KMS to generate encryption keys and encrypt data with those keys -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Cloud KMS = Secure key management [OK]

Hint: Always use Cloud KMS for key management and encryption [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Storing keys unencrypted
• Skipping encryption for speed
• Encrypting data without key management

3. Consider this IAM policy snippet in JSON format:

{
  "bindings": [
    {
      "role": "roles/storage.objectViewer",
      "members": ["user:[e-mail]"]
    }
  ]
}

What permission does Alice have on the storage bucket?

medium

A. She can upload and delete objects

B. She has no access

C. She can only view objects

D. She can manage bucket settings

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the role assigned

   The role is roles/storage.objectViewer, which grants read-only access to objects.

2. Step 2: Understand permissions of the role

   This role allows viewing objects but not uploading, deleting, or managing bucket settings.

3. Final Answer:

   She can only view objects -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   objectViewer = read-only access [OK]

Hint: Viewer roles allow read-only access, no changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing viewer with editor or owner roles
• Assuming upload/delete permissions
• Ignoring role details

4. You have a service account key stored in a public GitHub repository. What is the best immediate action to secure your Google Cloud environment?

medium

A. Change the project name to confuse attackers

B. Ignore it since the key is not used

C. Share the key with your team for transparency

D. Delete the exposed key and create a new one

Solution

1. Step 1: Recognize the risk of exposed keys

   Publicly exposed keys can be used by attackers to access resources.

2. Step 2: Take immediate action to revoke and replace keys

   Deleting the exposed key and creating a new one prevents unauthorized access.

3. Final Answer:

   Delete the exposed key and create a new one -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Exposed keys = revoke immediately [OK]

Hint: Revoke exposed keys immediately to prevent breaches [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring exposed keys
• Changing unrelated settings
• Sharing keys openly

5. You want to enforce that all data stored in Cloud Storage buckets is encrypted with customer-managed keys (CMKs) using Cloud KMS. Which combination of steps ensures this security best practice?

hard

A. Create a Cloud KMS key ring and key, then configure the bucket to use this key for default encryption

B. Store keys in a Compute Engine instance and manually encrypt files before upload

C. Use Google-managed encryption only and disable Cloud KMS

D. Encrypt files locally and upload without bucket encryption settings

Solution

1. Step 1: Create a Cloud KMS key ring and key

   This provides a customer-managed key to control encryption.

2. Step 2: Configure the Cloud Storage bucket to use the CMK for default encryption

   This ensures all objects are encrypted automatically with your key.

3. Final Answer:

   Create a Cloud KMS key ring and key, then configure the bucket to use this key for default encryption -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   CMK + bucket default encryption = secure data [OK]

Hint: Use CMK with bucket default encryption for strong control [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Relying only on Google-managed keys
• Encrypting manually without bucket settings
• Storing keys insecurely