Handling Encryption Keys with Cloud KMS

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Security

Handling Encryption Keys with Cloud KMS

The process of encrypting and decrypting files requires cryptographic keys. Google Cloud’s Key Management Service (Cloud KMS) allows you to generate, use, rotate, and destroy cryptographic keys in a variety of formats. Managing the keys is another challenge, one that Cloud KMS meets with its ability to create keyrings as well as keys. In this hands-on lab, we’ll establish a new keyring and key, use them to encrypt a formerly top-secret file, and then decrypt the encrypted version.

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Lab Info

Level

Beginner

Last updated

Sep 22, 2025

Duration

30m

Challenge

Enable Cloud KMS
1. From the main Google Cloud console navigation, choose APIs & Services > Library.
2. Search for KMS, and enable the service.
Challenge

Create a Keyring and Key
1. Activate the Cloud Shell by clicking its icon in the top navigation bar.
2. In the Cloud Shell, create the initial keyring.
3. Create a key for the new keyring.
4. List the existing keys within the CLI.
Challenge

Retrieve the Example File
1. Clone the GitHub repository: git clone https://github.com/linuxacademy/content-gcpro-security-engineer
2. Change directory to the content-gcpro-security-engineer/kms-encrypt-lab folder: cd content-gcpro-security-engineer/kms-encrypt-lab
3. Open the Cloud Shell Editor by clicking the pencil icon.
4. Review the file top-secret-ufo-1950.txt.
Challenge

Encrypt and Decrypt the File
1. In the Cloud Shell, encrypt the top-secret-ufo-1950.txt file and set the name to top-secret-ufo-1950.txt.encrypted.
2. Review the top-secret-ufo-1950.txt.encrypted file.
3. In the Cloud Shell, decrypt the encrypted file and set the name to top-secret-ufo-1950.txt.decrypted.
4. Review the top-secret-ufo-1950.txt.decrypted file.

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Pluralsight Skills

Pluralsight Skills gives leaders confidence they have the skills needed to execute technology strategy. Technology teams can benchmark expertise across roles, speed up release cycles and build reliable, secure products. By leveraging our expert content, skill assessments and one-of-a-kind analytics, keep up with the pace of change, put the right people on the right projects and boost productivity. It's the most effective path to developing tech skills at scale.

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