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Question 121

Your organization needs to connect multiple VPC networks in different projects within the same organization. The networks need to communicate using internal IP addresses without traversing the public internet. Which solution should you implement?

A) External IP addresses with Cloud NAT

B) VPC Network Peering

C) Cloud VPN

D) Dedicated Interconnect

Answer: B

Explanation:

VPC Network Peering is the optimal solution for connecting multiple VPC networks across different projects within the same organization using internal IP addresses. VPC Network Peering creates a private connection between two VPC networks that allows resources in each network to communicate using internal IP addresses as if they were in the same network. This connection does not require gateway devices, VPN tunnels, or separate network appliances, making it a simple and efficient solution for inter-VPC communication. Peering operates at the network layer and provides low latency, high bandwidth connectivity that remains entirely within Google’s network infrastructure.

VPC Network Peering offers several advantages for multi-project architectures. It supports transitive peering relationships when configured properly, allowing networks to communicate through intermediate peered networks. It maintains network isolation where each VPC retains its own firewall rules, routes, and network policies, providing security boundaries between projects while enabling necessary communication. Peering supports both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic and works across projects, organizations, and even between Google Cloud and Google Workspace environments. The configuration is straightforward requiring peering to be established from both sides, creating a bidirectional connection.

The implementation of VPC Network Peering involves several considerations. IP address ranges cannot overlap between peered networks, requiring careful planning of CIDR blocks during network design. Custom routes can be exported and imported between peered networks, enabling granular control over which subnets are reachable. Firewall rules remain independent in each network, so you must configure appropriate ingress and egress rules to allow desired traffic. Peering relationships are not transitive by default, meaning if VPC A peers with VPC B, and VPC B peers with VPC C, traffic does not automatically flow between VPC A and VPC C unless explicitly configured.

External IP addresses with Cloud NAT would route traffic through the public internet rather than using internal IPs and would be inefficient for inter-VPC communication. Cloud VPN creates encrypted tunnels and is useful for hybrid connectivity but adds unnecessary complexity and potential latency for VPC-to-VPC connections within Google Cloud. Dedicated Interconnect provides physical connections to on-premises networks and is not needed for connecting VPCs within Google Cloud. VPC Network Peering provides the direct, efficient, internal IP-based connectivity required for this scenario.

Question 122

A company is migrating to Google Cloud and needs to establish hybrid connectivity between their on-premises data center and Google Cloud with 10 Gbps throughput and low latency. Which connectivity option should they choose?

A) Cloud VPN

B) Partner Interconnect with 10 Gbps capacity

C) Dedicated Interconnect with 10 Gbps connection

D) Direct Peering

Answer: C

Explanation:

Dedicated Interconnect with a 10 Gbps connection is the appropriate solution for establishing hybrid connectivity with high throughput and low latency requirements. Dedicated Interconnect provides a direct physical connection between your on-premises network and Google’s network through a colocation facility. This connection offers dedicated bandwidth ranging from 10 Gbps to 100 Gbps per connection, with the ability to use multiple connections for higher aggregate bandwidth. The direct physical connection provides consistent low latency and high throughput without the overhead and variability of internet-based connectivity.

Dedicated Interconnect architecture involves physical cross-connects in supported colocation facilities. Your network equipment connects to Google’s edge network through physical fiber connections in facilities where Google has a presence. You can establish multiple connections for redundancy, with each connection terminating on different Google edge devices in different facilities for maximum reliability. VLAN attachments define which VPC networks the Interconnect connection can reach, and you can have multiple VLAN attachments on a single Interconnect connection to access different VPCs. BGP routing establishes dynamic routing between your on-premises network and Google Cloud.

The implementation considerations for Dedicated Interconnect include location requirements and SLA expectations. Your network equipment must be in or able to reach a supported colocation facility through your network provider. Google provides a 99.9% or 99.99% SLA depending on whether you implement a single connection or redundant connections across multiple metro areas. The service requires coordination with colocation facility providers for cross-connects and typically takes several weeks to fully provision due to physical installation requirements. Once established, Dedicated Interconnect provides private connectivity that does not traverse the public internet.

Cloud VPN provides encrypted connectivity over the internet and supports up to 3 Gbps per tunnel, which is insufficient for the 10 Gbps requirement and provides higher latency than Dedicated Interconnect. Partner Interconnect is appropriate when you cannot reach a Google colocation facility directly but provides connectivity through service provider networks, which may add latency compared to Dedicated Interconnect. Direct Peering establishes direct connectivity for accessing Google services but does not provide private connectivity to VPC networks. Dedicated Interconnect is the optimal choice for high-throughput, low-latency hybrid connectivity to Google Cloud.

Question 123

Your application running in Google Kubernetes Engine needs to access Google Cloud APIs without using service account keys. Which approach provides the most secure authentication method?

A) Store service account keys in Kubernetes Secrets

B) Use Workload Identity to bind Kubernetes service accounts to Google service accounts

C) Use a shared service account key file mounted to all pods

D) Create an access token and pass it as an environment variable

Answer: B

Explanation:

Workload Identity is the most secure approach for enabling GKE pods to access Google Cloud APIs without service account keys. Workload Identity allows Kubernetes service accounts to act as Google service accounts, providing automatic credential management without requiring static service account keys. When a pod uses Workload Identity, it can authenticate to Google Cloud services using short-lived tokens that are automatically rotated, eliminating the security risks associated with long-lived service account keys. This approach follows security best practices by removing the need to manage, distribute, or store sensitive credentials.

Workload Identity implementation involves binding Kubernetes service accounts to Google service accounts through IAM policy bindings. First, you enable Workload Identity on your GKE cluster, which may require cluster recreation for existing clusters not originally created with this feature. Next, you create a Google service account with appropriate IAM permissions for the Google Cloud resources your application needs to access. Then you create a Kubernetes service account in your namespace and establish an IAM policy binding that allows the Kubernetes service account to act as the Google service account. Finally, you annotate the Kubernetes service account with the Google service account email and configure your pods to use the Kubernetes service account.

The security advantages of Workload Identity are substantial compared to alternative approaches. Service account keys never leave Google’s infrastructure, eliminating risks of key compromise through pod logs, container images, or accidental exposure. Credentials are automatically rotated with short lifetimes, limiting the window of opportunity if tokens are somehow compromised. The principle of least privilege is easier to implement because each pod can use a different Kubernetes service account bound to Google service accounts with specific limited permissions. Audit logging clearly shows which workload performed which action, improving security monitoring and compliance.

Storing service account keys in Kubernetes Secrets still involves managing long-lived credentials that could be compromised if a Secret is exposed or if a pod is compromised. Using shared service account key files violates the principle of least privilege and creates a single point of compromise. Passing access tokens as environment variables requires external token generation and management, adding complexity and security risks. Workload Identity eliminates these vulnerabilities by providing automatic, keyless authentication with short-lived credentials and clear security boundaries.

Question 124

A company needs to implement a global load balancer that can route HTTPS traffic to backend services in multiple regions with automatic failover. Which load balancer should they use?

A) Internal TCP/UDP Load Balancer

B) Network Load Balancer

C) External HTTP(S) Load Balancer

D) Internal HTTP(S) Load Balancer

Answer: C

Explanation:

The External HTTP(S) Load Balancer is the appropriate solution for global HTTPS traffic distribution with multi-region backend support and automatic failover. This load balancer operates at Layer 7 and provides global load balancing using Google’s global network infrastructure with a single anycast IP address that routes traffic to the nearest healthy backend. The External HTTP(S) Load Balancer supports advanced traffic management including URL-based routing, host-based routing, SSL termination, and integration with Cloud CDN for content caching. It automatically directs traffic to healthy backends based on health checks and can fail over to other regions if a regional backend becomes unhealthy.

The architecture of External HTTP(S) Load Balancer provides sophisticated traffic management capabilities. URL maps define routing rules that direct requests to different backend services based on URL paths or hostnames, enabling microservices architectures where different services handle different request paths. Backend services represent groups of backends that can include instance groups, NEGs, or Cloud Storage buckets, with backends distributed across multiple regions for high availability. Health checks continuously monitor backend health and automatically remove unhealthy backends from the serving pool. SSL certificates can be managed through Google-managed certificates that automatically renew or customer-supplied certificates for custom domains.

Global load balancing with External HTTP(S) Load Balancer offers performance and reliability benefits. Cross-region load balancing enables traffic to be served from the region closest to users, reducing latency. Automatic spillover to other regions occurs when a region’s capacity is exhausted or becomes unavailable, ensuring service continuity. Integration with Cloud Armor provides DDoS protection and WAF capabilities at the load balancer layer. Cloud CDN integration caches content at Google’s edge locations worldwide, further reducing latency for cacheable content. The load balancer scales automatically to handle traffic spikes without manual intervention.

Internal TCP/UDP Load Balancer and Internal HTTP(S) Load Balancer are for private load balancing within VPC networks and do not provide external connectivity or global load balancing. Network Load Balancer operates at Layer 4 and does not provide HTTPS protocol features or global load balancing capabilities. Only External HTTP(S) Load Balancer provides the combination of global reach, HTTPS protocol support, multi-region backends, and automatic failover required for this scenario.

Question 125

Your organization needs to restrict VM instances from accessing the public internet while still allowing them to access Google APIs and services. What should you configure?

A) Cloud NAT with deny rules

B) Private Google Access

C) Shared VPC with firewall rules

D) VPC Service Controls

Answer: B

Explanation:

Private Google Access is the appropriate solution for allowing VM instances without external IP addresses to access Google APIs and services while restricting general internet access. When Private Google Access is enabled on a subnet, VM instances in that subnet can reach Google APIs and services using internal IP addresses even if the instances do not have external IP addresses. This configuration enhances security by keeping instances private while maintaining their ability to access essential Google services like Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud Pub/Sub, and other Google Cloud APIs. Traffic to Google services remains within Google’s network and does not traverse the public internet.

Private Google Access configuration is straightforward and operates at the subnet level. You enable Private Google Access on specific subnets where you want instances to reach Google APIs without external IPs. Once enabled, instances in those subnets can access Google APIs using their internal IPs, with traffic automatically routed through Google’s internal network. The configuration works with default internet gateway routes or custom routes to restricted.googleapis.com and private.googleapis.com, which are special IP ranges that Google provides for private access. DNS resolution for Google API domains returns private IP addresses when Private Google Access is enabled.

The implementation of Private Google Access addresses common security and connectivity requirements. VMs without external IPs cannot initiate connections to the internet or be reached from the internet, reducing attack surface and improving security posture. Access to Google services continues functioning normally without requiring Cloud NAT or external connectivity. The configuration is particularly useful for backend services, data processing workloads, and databases that need to use Google Cloud services but should not be directly accessible from or able to access the public internet. Firewall rules can further restrict which Google APIs are accessible.

Cloud NAT provides outbound internet connectivity from private instances but does not specifically restrict access to only Google APIs and services. Shared VPC provides centralized network administration but does not inherently restrict internet access. VPC Service Controls creates security perimeters around Google Cloud resources but operates at a different layer than network connectivity. Private Google Access specifically provides the capability to access Google APIs from instances without external IPs while blocking general internet access.

Question 126

A company wants to implement a private connection from their on-premises network to Google Cloud through a service provider because they cannot reach a Google colocation facility. Which solution should they use?

A) Dedicated Interconnect

B) Partner Interconnect

C) Cloud VPN with high availability

D) Carrier Peering

Answer: B

Explanation:

Partner Interconnect is the appropriate solution when you need private connectivity to Google Cloud but cannot physically reach a Google colocation facility directly. Partner Interconnect enables you to connect to Google Cloud through supported service providers who have existing connections to Google’s network. The service provider establishes the physical connectivity to Google, and you connect to the service provider through their network, extending your on-premises network to Google Cloud through this partner relationship. This approach provides enterprise-grade connectivity with SLAs while eliminating the requirement to have equipment in specific colocation facilities.

Partner Interconnect offers flexible capacity options ranging from 50 Mbps to 50 Gbps depending on service provider offerings, allowing you to choose bandwidth that matches your requirements and scale as needed. The architecture involves Layer 2 connections where VLAN attachments associate your Partner Interconnect connection with specific VPC networks in Google Cloud. You configure BGP routing between your on-premises network and Google Cloud to exchange routes and enable dynamic routing. Multiple VLAN attachments can be created on a single Partner Interconnect connection to access different VPCs, and redundant connections can be established through multiple service providers or circuits for high availability.

The implementation considerations for Partner Interconnect include service provider selection and SLA requirements. Google maintains a list of supported Partner Interconnect service providers with coverage in various geographic regions and countries. The service provider handles the physical connectivity to Google’s network, simplifying the deployment process compared to Dedicated Interconnect. Google provides a 99.9% or 99.99% availability SLA for Partner Interconnect depending on your redundancy configuration. Setup time is typically faster than Dedicated Interconnect because you are leveraging existing service provider infrastructure rather than installing new physical connections.

Dedicated Interconnect requires your equipment to be in or able to reach specific Google colocation facilities, which is not possible in this scenario. Cloud VPN provides connectivity over the internet with encryption but offers lower bandwidth and potentially higher latency compared to Partner Interconnect, and lacks the same SLA guarantees. Carrier Peering provides direct connectivity for accessing Google services but does not provide private access to VPC networks. Partner Interconnect is specifically designed for scenarios where dedicated private connectivity is needed but direct colocation access is not available.

Question 127

Your application needs to resolve DNS queries for resources in an on-premises network from Google Cloud VMs. What should you configure?

A) Cloud DNS public zones

B) Cloud DNS forwarding zones pointing to on-premises DNS servers

C) VPC Network Peering with DNS settings

D) Cloud NAT with DNS configuration

Answer: B

Explanation:

Cloud DNS forwarding zones are the appropriate solution for resolving DNS queries for on-premises resources from Google Cloud VMs. Forwarding zones configure Cloud DNS to forward queries for specific DNS domains to designated target DNS servers, such as your on-premises DNS infrastructure. When a VM in Google Cloud queries a domain that matches a forwarding zone, Cloud DNS forwards that query to the specified target DNS servers rather than attempting to resolve it using Cloud DNS authoritative zones. This enables seamless DNS resolution across hybrid environments where resources exist both on-premises and in Google Cloud.

Forwarding zones implementation involves several configuration steps. First, you create a Cloud DNS forwarding zone specifying the DNS domain namespace that should be forwarded, such as corp.example.com. Next, you configure forwarding targets which are the IP addresses of your on-premises DNS servers, typically reached through Cloud VPN or Cloud Interconnect connections. You specify which VPC networks can use the forwarding zone by creating DNS peering configurations or by using forwarding zones at the project level. VMs in those networks will then forward DNS queries matching the zone to your on-premises DNS servers, receiving authoritative responses for internal resources.

The architecture considerations for DNS forwarding include network connectivity and resolution paths. Your on-premises DNS servers must be reachable from Google Cloud through private connectivity like Cloud VPN or Cloud Interconnect for DNS traffic to flow properly. Firewall rules must allow DNS traffic port 53 between Google Cloud and on-premises networks. The forwarding configuration can be bidirectional where on-premises DNS servers also forward Google Cloud domain queries to Cloud DNS, creating comprehensive hybrid DNS resolution. Alternative DNS servers can be specified for redundancy if primary DNS servers become unavailable.

Cloud DNS public zones provide authoritative DNS for domains accessible from the internet and do not forward queries to other DNS servers. VPC Network Peering shares VPC configurations but does not inherently provide DNS forwarding to external DNS servers. Cloud NAT provides outbound internet connectivity and does not handle DNS forwarding to on-premises infrastructure. Cloud DNS forwarding zones specifically provide the DNS query forwarding capability needed to resolve on-premises DNS domains from Google Cloud.

Question 128

A company needs to ensure that traffic between VM instances in the same VPC network is encrypted in transit. Which approach should they implement?

A) Enable VPC Flow Logs

B) Use IPsec tunnels between VMs

C) Implement application-layer encryption like TLS

D) Enable Confidential VMs

Answer: C

Explanation:

Implementing application-layer encryption such as TLS is the appropriate approach for ensuring traffic between VM instances in the same VPC is encrypted in transit. Application-layer encryption provides end-to-end security where data is encrypted by the sending application and decrypted by the receiving application, protecting data throughout its entire journey. TLS and similar protocols provide strong encryption, authentication, and integrity protection while being widely supported by applications and services. This approach gives you control over encryption algorithms, key management, and can work across any network path including within VPCs, across VPCs, or over the internet.

Google Cloud’s network infrastructure already provides encryption at the physical and link layers for traffic within Google’s network, including traffic between VMs in the same VPC. However, this encryption operates below the VM level and may not satisfy compliance requirements that specifically mandate application-layer encryption. Implementing TLS or other application-layer protocols ensures that traffic is encrypted at a layer that you control and can audit. Modern web applications typically use HTTPS with TLS, databases support encrypted connections, and gRPC provides built-in encryption. Application-layer encryption also provides defense in depth, protecting data even if lower-layer encryption is somehow compromised.

The implementation of application-layer encryption involves configuring applications and services to use encrypted protocols. Web servers should be configured with SSL certificates to serve HTTPS traffic. Database connections should use SSL or TLS. API communication should leverage encrypted protocols. Services should validate certificates to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. Certificate management becomes important, with options including self-signed certificates for internal services or certificates from public certificate authorities for broader compatibility. Google Cloud Certificate Manager can help automate certificate lifecycle management. The encryption overhead is typically minimal on modern systems with hardware acceleration.

VPC Flow Logs provide network traffic logging for monitoring and analysis but do not encrypt traffic. IPsec tunnels between individual VMs would be complex to manage, add significant overhead, and are unnecessary given Google’s existing infrastructure encryption and the availability of application-layer encryption. Confidential VMs provide encryption for data in use within VM memory but do not specifically encrypt network traffic between VMs. Application-layer encryption using TLS and similar protocols provides the most practical and widely supported approach to encrypting traffic between VMs.

Question 129

Your organization is implementing a hub-and-spoke network topology where multiple spoke VPCs need to communicate with each other through a central hub VPC. What should you configure to enable transitive routing?

A) VPC Network Peering between all VPCs

B) VPC Network Peering with custom route advertisement and Network Connectivity Center

C) Shared VPC with all projects as service projects

D) Cloud Router with route export

Answer: B

Explanation:

VPC Network Peering with custom route advertisement combined with Network Connectivity Center or third-party network virtual appliances is the appropriate solution for implementing transitive routing in a hub-and-spoke topology. Standard VPC Network Peering is non-transitive, meaning if VPC A peers with hub VPC B, and VPC C also peers with hub VPC B, traffic cannot flow directly between VPC A and VPC C through the hub. To enable spoke-to-spoke communication through a hub, you need to configure custom routing where the hub VPC contains routing infrastructure that advertises routes to spoke VPCs and forwards traffic between them.

The implementation typically involves deploying network virtual appliances or routers in the hub VPC that handle routing between spokes. These appliances receive traffic from one spoke VPC, make routing decisions, and forward traffic to the destination spoke VPC. You configure VPC Network Peering between each spoke and the hub, then use custom route advertisement to announce spoke network ranges to other spokes through the hub. The hub’s routing infrastructure applies firewall rules, performs traffic inspection if needed, and routes packets to their destinations. This approach provides centralized control over spoke-to-spoke traffic flow and enables security policies to be enforced at the hub.

Network Connectivity Center is Google’s hub-and-spoke networking solution that simplifies management of complex network topologies. It provides a central console for managing connections between VPCs, on-premises networks, and other cloud environments. Network Connectivity Center supports various connection types including VPC Network Peering, Cloud VPN, and Cloud Interconnect. It enables global routing across all connected resources with centralized visibility and monitoring. The service automatically manages route propagation and provides a unified view of your global network topology.

Direct VPC Network Peering between all VPCs creates a mesh topology rather than hub-and-spoke and becomes complex to manage as the number of VPCs grows. Shared VPC provides centralized network administration but creates a single large network rather than separate VPCs with controlled transit routing. Cloud Router handles BGP routing for hybrid connectivity but does not solve the VPC peering transitivity limitation by itself. VPC Network Peering with custom routing through a hub, optionally managed by Network Connectivity Center, provides true hub-and-spoke topology with transitive routing between spokes.

Question 130

A company needs to implement DDoS protection and WAF capabilities for their web application running on Google Cloud. Which service should they use?

A) Cloud Armor

B) Identity-Aware Proxy

C) VPC Service Controls

D) Cloud Load Balancing

Answer: A

Explanation:

Cloud Armor is the appropriate service for implementing DDoS protection and Web Application Firewall capabilities for applications on Google Cloud. Cloud Armor integrates with Google Cloud load balancers to provide defense against network and application-layer attacks. It operates at the edge of Google’s global network, analyzing incoming traffic before it reaches your application infrastructure and blocking malicious requests based on configurable security policies. Cloud Armor protects against volumetric attacks, protocol attacks, and application-layer attacks including OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities like SQL injection and cross-site scripting.

Cloud Armor security policies define rules that allow or deny traffic based on various criteria. Rules can match on source IP addresses or ranges, geographic regions, request headers, paths, or use preconfigured WAF rules that detect common attack patterns. You can implement rate limiting to prevent abuse and brute force attacks, configure custom rules using Common Expression Language for sophisticated matching logic, and use Google Cloud’s threat intelligence to automatically block traffic from known malicious sources. Security policies are attached to backend services behind external HTTP(S) load balancers or SSL proxy load balancers, providing protection for your public-facing applications.

The DDoS protection capabilities in Cloud Armor operate at multiple layers. At the network layer, Google’s infrastructure automatically absorbs and mitigates large volumetric attacks without requiring configuration. At the application layer, Cloud Armor security policies can detect and block attack patterns including HTTP floods, slowloris attacks, and other application-layer DDoS techniques. Adaptive Protection provides automated detection and mitigation of Layer 7 attacks by analyzing traffic patterns and automatically deploying protective rules when attacks are detected. Detailed logging provides visibility into blocked and allowed requests for security analysis and compliance.

Identity-Aware Proxy provides authentication and authorization for applications but is not a DDoS or WAF solution. VPC Service Controls creates security perimeters around Google Cloud resources but does not provide DDoS protection or WAF for internet-facing applications. Cloud Load Balancing provides traffic distribution but does not inherently include DDoS or WAF capabilities; it requires Cloud Armor integration for those features. Cloud Armor specifically provides comprehensive DDoS protection and WAF functionality needed to secure web applications against attacks.

Question 131

Your organization needs to grant third-party contractors temporary access to specific Google Cloud resources without creating user accounts in your domain. Which identity solution should you use?

A) Service accounts with downloaded keys

B) Google Workspace accounts in your domain

C) External identities with IAM policy bindings

D) Temporary VM instances with SSH access

Answer: C

Explanation:

External identities with IAM policy bindings are the appropriate solution for granting third-party contractors access without creating accounts in your domain. Google Cloud IAM supports identity federation, allowing you to grant access to users who authenticate through external identity providers like other Google Workspace domains, Microsoft Azure AD, or other OIDC or SAML identity providers. These external identities can be granted IAM roles on your Google Cloud resources without needing to create corresponding user accounts in your organization’s domain. This approach maintains separation between your organization’s identity management and external contractors while providing controlled access.

The implementation of external identity access involves configuring IAM policy bindings with appropriate principal identifiers. For users from other Google Workspace domains or consumer Google accounts, you can directly grant IAM roles using their email addresses as principals in policy bindings. For enterprise identity providers, you configure workforce identity federation which maps identities from external IdPs to Google Cloud IAM. The external users authenticate with their own organization’s identity provider, receive temporary credentials that are accepted by Google Cloud, and access only the resources they are explicitly granted permissions to. This eliminates the need to manage contractor credentials in your system.

Security and governance advantages of external identity access include reduced administrative overhead and improved security posture. You don’t need to create, manage, or delete user accounts in your domain for temporary contractors. Access can be granted and revoked quickly by modifying IAM policy bindings without coordinating password resets or account deletions. Audit logs clearly show which external identities accessed which resources. Access can be time-limited using IAM conditions to automatically expire permissions. The principle of least privilege is easier to implement because you grant only specific permissions needed for the contractor’s work.

Service accounts with downloaded keys create security risks because keys are long-lived credentials that could be compromised and are difficult to manage. Creating Google Workspace accounts in your domain for external contractors requires administrative overhead and complicates offboarding. Using temporary VM instances with SSH access provides infrastructure rather than appropriate identity-based access control. External identities with IAM policy bindings provide secure, manageable access for third parties without complicating your organization’s identity management.

Question 132

A company needs to analyze VPC network traffic for security monitoring and troubleshooting. Which feature should they enable?

A) Packet Mirroring

B) VPC Flow Logs

C) Cloud Logging

D) Network Intelligence Center

Answer: B

Explanation:

VPC Flow Logs are the appropriate feature for analyzing VPC network traffic for security monitoring and troubleshooting purposes. VPC Flow Logs capture information about IP traffic going to and from network interfaces in your VPC network, recording a sample of network flows that includes source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocol, packet and byte counts, and other metadata. These logs are sent to Cloud Logging where they can be analyzed, exported to other systems, or used to create metrics and alerts. Flow logs provide visibility into network traffic patterns, help troubleshoot connectivity issues, and enable security analysis to detect anomalous traffic.

VPC Flow Logs configuration is flexible, allowing you to control logging granularity and costs. You can enable flow logs at the subnet level, choosing which subnets should have logging enabled based on your monitoring requirements. Sampling rates can be adjusted from logging every flow to sampling a smaller percentage, balancing visibility needs with storage costs. Aggregation intervals determine how frequently flow records are generated. Metadata annotations can be enabled to include additional information like geographic location and VM details. Filtering allows you to capture only specific types of traffic, reducing log volume while maintaining visibility into relevant flows.

The use cases for VPC Flow Logs span security, compliance, and operations. Security teams use flow logs to detect suspicious traffic patterns, identify unauthorized access attempts, investigate security incidents, and validate firewall rule effectiveness. Network engineers use flow logs to troubleshoot connectivity issues, analyze traffic paths, optimize network configurations, and understand bandwidth consumption. Compliance requirements often mandate network traffic logging for audit trails. Integration with BigQuery enables complex analysis of historical flow data to identify trends or anomalies. SIEM tools can ingest flow logs for security monitoring and threat detection.

Packet Mirroring captures complete packet contents rather than flow summaries and is more appropriate for deep packet inspection and troubleshooting specific traffic issues. Cloud Logging is the platform that receives flow logs but does not itself capture network traffic. Network Intelligence Center provides network monitoring and topology visualization but relies on data sources like VPC Flow Logs rather than directly capturing traffic. VPC Flow Logs specifically provide the network traffic visibility needed for security monitoring and troubleshooting at scale.

Question 133

Your application running in GKE needs to access Cloud SQL using a private IP address. Which networking configuration should you implement?

A) Cloud SQL Proxy

B) VPC-native GKE cluster with Private Service Connect

C) Alias IP ranges with Private Google Access

D) VPC peering to Cloud SQL network

Answer: B

Explanation:

A VPC-native GKE cluster with Private Service Connect is the recommended approach for connecting to Cloud SQL using private IP addresses. VPC-native clusters use alias IP ranges for pods and services, providing native VPC routing for GKE resources. When Cloud SQL instances are configured with private IP addresses, they are accessible through private connectivity within your VPC network. Private Service Connect enables private connectivity to Google services including Cloud SQL, allowing your GKE pods to reach Cloud SQL instances using internal IP addresses without traffic traversing the public internet. This approach provides better security, potentially lower latency, and eliminates the need for managing Cloud SQL Proxy sidecar containers.

The implementation involves several configuration steps. First, create or configure your GKE cluster as VPC-native, which enables alias IP ranges for pods and services. Next, provision your Cloud SQL instance with private IP enabled, which creates a private service connection to your VPC network. This connection uses VPC peering behind the scenes to provide connectivity between your VPC and the Cloud SQL VPC. Configure appropriate firewall rules to allow traffic from your GKE pod IP ranges to Cloud SQL. Your application pods can then connect directly to the Cloud SQL private IP address using standard database connection strings without requiring proxy containers.

Private IP connectivity for Cloud SQL offers several advantages over public IP connections. Traffic remains within Google’s network and does not traverse the public internet, improving security by reducing exposure to external threats. Network latency may be lower because traffic takes more direct paths through Google’s internal network. You avoid the complexity of managing SSL certificates for encrypted connections because private network traffic is already encrypted at the physical layer. Firewall rules and VPC network controls provide additional layers of security for database access. Connection limits are less likely to be reached because you don’t need Cloud SQL Proxy instances consuming connections.

Cloud SQL Proxy is an alternative approach that can work but adds operational complexity by requiring proxy containers in each pod or as sidecars, consuming resources and adding potential failure points. Alias IP ranges with Private Google Access enable GKE pods to reach Google APIs but do not specifically provide Cloud SQL connectivity. VPC peering to Cloud SQL network describes the underlying connectivity mechanism but is automatically configured when you enable private IP for Cloud SQL rather than being manually configured. VPC-native GKE with Private Service Connect provides the most direct and efficient private connectivity to Cloud SQL.

Question 134

A company wants to implement centralized egress traffic control for multiple VPC networks, routing all outbound internet traffic through a single point for inspection. What architecture should they use?

A) Cloud NAT in each VPC

B) Shared VPC with centralized NAT gateway

C) Hub VPC with network virtual appliances and route configuration

D) External HTTP(S) Load Balancer with URL maps

Answer: C

Explanation:

A hub VPC with network virtual appliances and route configuration is the appropriate architecture for centralized egress traffic control and inspection. This hub-and-spoke model involves creating a central hub VPC that contains network virtual appliances like firewalls or proxy servers that inspect and control outbound traffic. Spoke VPCs peer with the hub VPC and use custom routes to direct internet-bound traffic to the network appliances in the hub. The appliances inspect traffic, apply security policies, perform threat detection, and then forward allowed traffic to the internet. This centralized approach enables consistent security policies across all VPCs and provides a single point for traffic monitoring.

The implementation of centralized egress involves several components working together. The hub VPC contains network virtual appliances deployed in high availability configurations, typically across multiple zones for resilience. These appliances might be next-generation firewalls, proxy servers, or purpose-built traffic inspection tools. Custom static routes in spoke VPCs direct internet-bound traffic to the appliances using special IP ranges and next-hop internal load balancers that distribute traffic across appliance instances. The hub VPC has standard internet gateway routes that allow inspected traffic to reach the internet. Return traffic flows back through the appliances to the originating spoke VPCs.

The architecture provides several operational and security benefits. All egress traffic passes through a central inspection point where consistent security policies are enforced regardless of which VPC or application generated the traffic. Detailed logging and monitoring at the hub provides complete visibility into outbound connections. Threat detection systems can analyze all egress traffic for indicators of compromise or data exfiltration attempts. The centralized model simplifies management compared to deploying inspection infrastructure in each VPC. Updates to security policies or appliance software happen in one location rather than across many deployments. The architecture supports hybrid requirements where both cloud and on-premises traffic can be inspected at the hub.

Cloud NAT in each VPC provides egress connectivity but does not offer traffic inspection or centralized control. Shared VPC centralizes network administration but does not inherently provide traffic inspection capabilities. External HTTP(S) Load Balancer is for inbound traffic distribution rather than outbound traffic control. A hub VPC with network virtual appliances specifically provides the centralized egress inspection and control architecture needed for this requirement.

Question 135

Your organization needs to provide remote access to internal applications for employees working from home without exposing those applications to the public internet. Which solution provides secure, identity-aware access?

A) Cloud VPN with client certificates

B) Identity-Aware Proxy with IAM integration

C) Cloud Armor with IP allowlisting

D) External load balancer with HTTPS

Answer: B

Explanation:

Identity-Aware Proxy with IAM integration is the optimal solution for providing secure, identity-aware access to internal applications without exposing them to the public internet. IAP creates an authentication and authorization layer in front of your applications, verifying user identity through Google’s identity platform before allowing access. Users authenticate using their corporate credentials through Google Cloud Identity or integrated third-party identity providers. IAP evaluates IAM policies to determine if the authenticated user is authorized to access the application, creating a zero-trust security model where access is based on identity rather than network location. This approach eliminates the need for traditional VPNs while providing stronger security.

IAP implementation involves enabling the service for specific backend services or App Engine applications and configuring IAM policies that define who can access each application. When users attempt to access an IAP-protected application, they are redirected to Google’s authentication service if not already authenticated. After successful authentication, IAP evaluates IAM permissions to determine if the user should be granted access. If authorized, IAP creates a secure session and proxies requests to the backend application, adding signed headers that the application can validate. The application never directly receives unauthenticated requests. IAP works with HTTP(S) applications including web applications, APIs, and services.

The security advantages of IAP are substantial compared to traditional access methods. Applications remain private without external IP addresses or public DNS entries because IAP handles external connectivity. Access decisions are based on verified user identity rather than network source, preventing unauthorized access even if network credentials are compromised. Context-aware access policies can incorporate factors like device security status and geographic location. Detailed audit logs record all access attempts and decisions. The architecture scales automatically without managing VPN capacity or client software deployments. Users experience seamless access through their browsers without VPN client configuration.

Cloud VPN provides network-level connectivity but requires client software, infrastructure management, and does not provide application-level identity verification. Cloud Armor protects against attacks but IP allowlisting does not scale well for remote workers with dynamic IPs and does not verify user identity. External load balancers expose applications to the public internet and do not inherently provide authentication. Identity-Aware Proxy specifically provides the secure, identity-based access control needed for remote access to internal applications without VPN infrastructure.