Manage Encryption Keys for Data Protection on Cloud Storage

D.

When a customer wants to manage its own encryption keys for encrypting data on Cloud Storage, they can use Customer-Supplied Encryption Keys (CSEK) to encrypt data at rest. With CSEK, the customer creates and manages their encryption keys, and they are not stored on Google's servers.

Out of the given options, option D is the correct answer. Here is a detailed explanation for the same:

Option A: Uploading the encryption key to a Cloud Storage bucket and then uploading the object to the same bucket is not a secure method. It involves storing the encryption key and encrypted data in the same location, which is against the best practices for encryption.

Option B: Using the gsutil command line tool to upload the object to Cloud Storage, and specifying the location of the encryption key is a better option than option A but still not the recommended way. The encryption key will be stored in a local machine or server and can be a potential security threat if compromised.

Option C: Generating an encryption key in the Google Cloud Platform Console and uploading an object to Cloud Storage using the specified key means that the key will be stored on Google's servers, which defeats the purpose of using CSEK.

Option D: Encrypting the object, then using the gsutil command-line tool, or the Google Cloud Platform Console to upload the object to Cloud Storage is the recommended approach. This method ensures that the encryption key is not stored on Google's servers or the same location as the encrypted data. The customer can encrypt the data using their own encryption key and upload the encrypted data to Cloud Storage. When retrieving the data, the customer can use the same encryption key to decrypt the data.

In summary, the customer's internal security team should encrypt the data using their encryption key and then use the gsutil command-line tool or the Google Cloud Platform Console to upload the encrypted object to Cloud Storage.