The correct answer is to disable shared key access on the Azure Storage account. This configuration explicitly blocks all authentication using the storage account’s primary and secondary keys, forcing every request to rely on Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) for authorization. By disabling shared key access, you ensure that only identities with the appropriate RBAC roles—such as Storage Blob Data Owner or Contributor—can access the storage, eliminating any possibility of key-based authentication. On the AZ-204 exam, this concept often appears in scenarios about securing sensitive data, where the common trap is confusing disabling shared key access with simply regenerating keys or enabling firewall rules. Remember, regenerating keys does not prevent their future use, while disabling shared key access is a permanent enforcement. A useful memory tip: “No keys, only Entra—disable shared key to enforce.”
AZ-204 Implement Azure security Practice Question
This AZ-204 practice question tests your understanding of implement azure security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has an Azure Storage account that stores sensitive data. They need to ensure that all access to the storage account is secured using Microsoft Entra ID authentication and that no storage account keys are used. Which configuration should be applied to enforce this?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Disable shared key access
Disabling shared key access (Option B) is the correct configuration because it explicitly blocks all authentication using storage account keys (both primary and secondary), forcing all requests to use Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) for authorization. This ensures that only identities with appropriate RBAC roles (e.g., Storage Blob Data Owner) can access the storage account, meeting the requirement to eliminate key-based access entirely.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Enable firewall rules
Why it's wrong here
Firewall rules restrict network access but do not prevent the use of storage account keys for authentication.
✓
Disable shared key access
Why this is correct
Disabling shared key access ensures that only Microsoft Entra ID authentication is allowed, effectively blocking the use of storage account keys.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable advanced threat protection
Why it's wrong here
Advanced threat protection monitors for security threats but does not enforce authentication methods.
✗
Enable soft delete
Why it's wrong here
Soft delete protects data from accidental deletion but does not affect authentication requirements.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse network-level security (firewall rules) with authentication enforcement, mistakenly believing that restricting network access alone prevents key-based access, when in fact shared keys can still be used from allowed networks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, disabling shared key access sets the `AllowSharedKeyAccess` property of the storage account to `false`, which causes the Azure Storage REST API to reject any request that does not include a valid OAuth 2.0 token from Microsoft Entra ID. This property is enforced at the storage account level and overrides any container-level or blob-level permissions; even if a shared key is provided in the `Authorization` header, the request will fail with a 403 (Forbidden) error. In a real-world scenario, this is critical for compliance frameworks like PCI DSS or SOC 2 that require centralized identity management and auditability of all data access.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-204 question in full detail.
Implement Azure security — This question tests Implement Azure security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Disable shared key access — Disabling shared key access (Option B) is the correct configuration because it explicitly blocks all authentication using storage account keys (both primary and secondary), forcing all requests to use Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) for authorization. This ensures that only identities with appropriate RBAC roles (e.g., Storage Blob Data Owner) can access the storage account, meeting the requirement to eliminate key-based access entirely.
What should I do if I get this AZ-204 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your company stores sensitive documents in an Azure Storage account. You need to ensure that only authorized Microsoft Entra ID users can read the documents, and that shared keys (account access keys) cannot be used. Which two steps must you take? (Choose the most appropriate single answer that describes the combined action.)
hard
✓ A.Disable shared key access and configure RBAC roles for Microsoft Entra ID users
B.Enable Microsoft Entra ID authentication and use SAS tokens with a stored access policy
C.Enable firewall and virtual network service endpoints, then assign RBAC roles
✓ D.Use user-delegation SAS tokens and disable shared key access
Why A: Option A is correct because disabling shared key access on the Azure Storage account prevents the use of account access keys, which are shared secrets. Configuring Azure RBAC roles (e.g., Storage Blob Data Reader) for Microsoft Entra ID users ensures that only authenticated and authorized users can read the documents, enforcing identity-based access control as required.
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Question Discussion
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