Professional Cloud Security EngineerEnsuring complianceMedium
A financial services company is developing a critical trading platform on Google Cloud. Due to strict regulatory requirements (e.g., FINRA, PCI DSS), they need to ensure that detailed logs of all administrative access by Google Cloud personnel to their project data are available for audit, including the justification for access and the Google engineer's identity. Which Google Cloud service provides these specific audit logs?
- ACloud Audit Logs
- BSecurity Command Center
- CCloud Logging
- DAccess Transparency
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Access Transparency
Access Transparency provides near real-time audit logs of actions taken by Google Cloud personnel when they access customer data or configurations. These logs include the reason for access, the Google employee's identity, and the resources accessed, which is crucial for meeting stringent regulatory audit requirements.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Cloud Audit Logs records administrative activities and data access by *customer* users, not specifically Google personnel accessing customer data.
- B. Security Command Center is for threat detection and vulnerability management, not for logging Google personnel access.
- C. Cloud Logging collects and stores logs generally, but Access Transparency provides the specific, detailed logs of Google personnel access.
Access Transparency
A Google Cloud service that provides near real-time audit logs of administrative actions taken by Google Cloud personnel when accessing customer data or configurations.
- Logs include Google employee ID, justification, and accessed resources.
- Helps meet stringent regulatory compliance requirements.
- Complements Access Approval by providing visibility after approval.
Memory trick: Access Transparency is like a 'Security Camera' on Google's side, recording every interaction with your data.