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Course

Cloud Security Risks: Identify and Protect Against Threats

IntermediateSkill Level

Updated 07/2026

This course explores identity management and access control within a cloud environment, covering authentication, authorization, auditing, and more.

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28 hr

52 videos

216 Exercises

11,050 XP

Statement of Accomplishment

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Course Description

This is the third of five courses in the Google Cloud Cybersecurity Certificate. In this course, you’ll explore the principles of identity management and access control within a cloud environment, covering key elements like AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Auditing), credential handling, and certificate management. You'll also explore essential topics in threat and vulnerability management, cloud-native principles, and data protection measures. Upon completing this course, you will have acquired the skills and knowledge necessary to secure cloud-based resources and safeguard sensitive organizational information. Additionally, you'll continue to engage with career resources and hone your interview techniques, preparing you for the next step in your professional journey.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course

1

Access control and identity management

In this module, you’ll delve into the crucial aspects of identity management and access control in cloud computing, learning about security principles such as least-privilege and separation-of-duties, and the crucial elements of AAA: authentication, authorization, and auditing. You'll explore various access control methods, credential management, and certificate handling, key to securing cloud applications.

Introduction to Course 3

Course 3 overview

Manny: A day in the life of a red team security engineer

Helpful resources and tips

Lab technical tips

Explore your course 3 scenario: Cymbal Bank

Welcome to module 1

Core principles of identity management

Uses for identity management measures

Authentication, authorization and auditing (AAA)

Credential handling and service accounts

Create a role in Google Cloud IAM

Test your knowledge: Access management — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Access management — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Access management — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Access management — Question 4

Test your knowledge: Access management — Question 5

Access controls in the cloud

Cloud access control in action

Test your knowledge: Types of access controls — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Types of access controls — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Types of access controls — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Types of access controls — Question 4

Perimeter protection

Trust boundaries

Guide to firewall rules

Access a firewall and create a rule

Common attack vectors

Test your knowledge: Perimeter protection — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Perimeter protection — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Perimeter protection — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Perimeter protection — Question 4

Zero trust policies and complementary controls

Test your knowledge: Zero trust — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Zero trust — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Zero trust — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Zero trust — Question 4

Glossary terms from module 1

Module 1 challenge — Question 1

Module 1 challenge — Question 2

Module 1 challenge — Question 3

Module 1 challenge — Question 4

Module 1 challenge — Question 5

Module 1 challenge — Question 6

Module 1 challenge — Question 7

Module 1 challenge — Question 8

Module 1 challenge — Question 9

Module 1 challenge — Question 10

2

Threat and vulnerability management

In this module, you'll immerse yourself in the world of threat and vulnerability management, learning to identify threats and vulnerabilities, assess risks, and implement effective mitigation strategies. You'll discover the ins and outs of asset management, including best practices and tools for efficient resource management, and delve into the crucial role of secure configuration in cloud security, with practical applications in the cloud environment.

Welcome to module 2

Introduction to threat management

Threat and vulnerability management assessments

Eyre: Secure cloud assets

Test your knowledge: Importance of threat and vulnerability management — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Importance of threat and vulnerability management — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Importance of threat and vulnerability management — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Importance of threat and vulnerability management — Question 4

Asset and resource management

Steps for asset management

On-the-job asset management applications

Test your knowledge: Asset management — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Asset management — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Asset management — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Asset management — Question 4

Vulnerability remediation and posture management

Vulnerability remediation and posture management in software development

Posture management tools and techniques

IT automation tools for posture management

IT automation tools for security configuration management

Guide to web application security scanning

Identify vulnerabilities and remediation techniques

Test your knowledge: Vulnerability remediation and posture management — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Vulnerability remediation and posture management — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Vulnerability remediation and posture management — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Vulnerability remediation and posture management — Question 4

Test your knowledge: Vulnerability remediation and posture management — Question 5

Patching and rehydration

Compare and contrast: Patching and rehydration

Rehydration keeps systems up-to-date

Test your knowledge: Patching and rehydration for system maintenance — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Patching and rehydration for system maintenance — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Patching and rehydration for system maintenance — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Patching and rehydration for system maintenance — Question 4

Trends in vulnerability and threat management

Trends in security: Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and Internet of things (IoT)

Reports and assessments for threat and vulnerability management

Test your knowledge: Trends in threat management — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Trends in threat management — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Trends in threat management — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Trends in threat management — Question 4

Test your knowledge: Trends in threat management — Question 5

Glossary terms from module 2

Module 2 challenge — Question 1

Module 2 challenge — Question 2

Module 2 challenge — Question 3

Module 2 challenge — Question 4

Module 2 challenge — Question 5

Module 2 challenge — Question 6

Module 2 challenge — Question 7

Module 2 challenge — Question 8

Module 2 challenge — Question 9

Module 2 challenge — Question 10

3

Cloud Native Principles of Ephemerality and Immutability

In this module, you'll explore cloud-native principles of ephemerality and immutability, focusing on proper credential handling that aligns with these concepts. You'll discover the automation of infrastructure provisioning and its impact on security, including key areas such as containers, orchestration, and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC).

Welcome to module 3

Cloud-native design and architecture principles

Cloud-native architecture for security

TTL policies and expiration

Introduction to ephemerality and immutability

Test your knowledge: Ephemerality and immutability — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Ephemerality and immutability — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Ephemerality and immutability — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Ephemerality and immutability — Question 4

Automation in cloud security

Infrastructure as code, policy as code, and DevSecOps

Automation to improve cloud security efficiency

AI and automation in security

Infrastructure as code and cloud-native security

Benefits of policy as code

Terraform for IaC management

Terraform and cloud security

Guide to automating deployment with Terraform

Change firewall rules using Terraform and Cloud Shell

Test your knowledge: Automation in cloud infrastructure — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Automation in cloud infrastructure — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Automation in cloud infrastructure — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Automation in cloud infrastructure — Question 4

Containers vs. virtual machines

A brief guide to containers

Containers’ importance in the cloud

Container benefits and considerations

Test your knowledge: Containers explained — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Containers explained — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Containers explained — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Containers explained — Question 4

Techniques to secure containers

Container drift

Security in containers

Serverless functions and security

Container orchestration

Activity: Analyze the security of a container

Activity Quiz: Analyze the security of a container — Question 1

Activity Quiz: Analyze the security of a container — Question 2

Activity Quiz: Analyze the security of a container — Question 3

Activity Quiz: Analyze the security of a container — Question 4

Activity Exemplar: Analyze the security of a container

Test your knowledge: Orchestrators and security of containers — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Orchestrators and security of containers — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Orchestrators and security of containers — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Orchestrators and security of containers — Question 4

Test your knowledge: Orchestrators and security of containers — Question 5

Glossary terms from module 3

Module 3 challenge — Question 1

Module 3 challenge — Question 2

Module 3 challenge — Question 3

Module 3 challenge — Question 4

Module 3 challenge — Question 5

Module 3 challenge — Question 6

Module 3 challenge — Question 7

Module 3 challenge — Question 8

Module 3 challenge — Question 9

Module 3 challenge — Question 10

4

Data Protection and Privacy

In this module, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of data protection and privacy in the cloud. The module will guide you through the essentials of data loss prevention, data discovery, data processing, data treatment, and data classification, empowering you to understand and implement effective data governance and access strategies. Additionally, you'll explore the nuances of data retention levels and how compliance controls are applied, equipping you to explain and navigate governance in cloud security.

Welcome to module 4

Introduction to the three states of data

Data encryption

Data encryption at rest, in transit, and in use

Asymmetric versus symmetric encryption

Test your knowledge: Cloud data protection and privacy techniques — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Cloud data protection and privacy techniques — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Cloud data protection and privacy techniques — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Cloud data protection and privacy techniques — Question 4

Data classification and tagging

Protection of personally identifiable information (PII)

Cryptographic keys for data protection

Create symmetric and asymmetric keys

Test your knowledge: Techniques for protection of personal data — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Techniques for protection of personal data — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Techniques for protection of personal data — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Techniques for protection of personal data — Question 4

Test your knowledge: Techniques for protection of personal data — Question 5

Data governance for security and data quality

Data sovereignty and data governance

Data sovereignty challenges and strategies

Data discovery to support data governance

Data retention policies

Test your knowledge: Data sovereignty and data governance — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Data sovereignty and data governance — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Data sovereignty and data governance — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Data sovereignty and data governance — Question 4

Test your knowledge: Data sovereignty and data governance — Question 5

Plan for business continuity

Create a business continuity plan

Business continuity scenario

Test your knowledge: Business continuity in cloud computing — Question 1

Test your knowledge: Business continuity in cloud computing — Question 2

Test your knowledge: Business continuity in cloud computing — Question 3

Test your knowledge: Business continuity in cloud computing — Question 4

Lauren: What makes candidates stand out

Patrick and Brenda: Interview role play

Interview tip: Explain impact

Glossary terms from module 4

Module 4 challenge — Question 1

Module 4 challenge — Question 2

Module 4 challenge — Question 3

Module 4 challenge — Question 4

Module 4 challenge — Question 5

Module 4 challenge — Question 6

Module 4 challenge — Question 7

Module 4 challenge — Question 8

Module 4 challenge — Question 9

Module 4 challenge — Question 10

Course wrap-up

Course 3 resources and citations

Glossary terms from course 3

Cloud Security Risks: Identify and Protect Against Threats

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