The correct answer is Identity Protection and Password Protection, as both directly target credential attacks through complementary mechanisms. Password Protection blocks weak or compromised passwords—like common variations of “Password123!”—by enforcing a global banned password list and allowing custom terms, while Identity Protection uses real-time risk detection, such as leaked credentials or anonymous IP addresses, to automatically block sign-ins or trigger MFA, stopping brute force and password spray attacks. On the AZ-305 exam, this question tests your ability to pair preventative controls with detective responses; a common trap is choosing Privileged Identity Management (PIM) instead, which manages just-in-time access but does not directly counter credential attacks. Remember the memory tip: “Block weak passwords, detect risky sign-ins”—Password Protection blocks, Identity Protection detects.
AZ-305 Practice Question: Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which TWO Microsoft Entra ID features should you use to protect against credential attacks?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Password Protection
Password Protection is correct because it specifically targets credential attacks by blocking weak passwords and common variations (e.g., 'Password123!') using a global banned password list and the option to add custom terms. Identity Protection is correct because it uses real-time risk detection (e.g., leaked credentials, anonymous IP addresses) to automatically block or require MFA for suspicious sign-ins, directly mitigating credential-based attacks like password spray or brute force.
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.
✓
Password Protection
Why this is correct
Password Protection blocks weak passwords and common password patterns.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Identity Protection
Why this is correct
Identity Protection detects risks such as leaked credentials and suspicious sign-ins.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Group-based licensing
Why it's wrong here
Group-based licensing assigns licenses, not security.
✗
Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR)
Why it's wrong here
SSPR helps users reset passwords but does not prevent credential attacks.
✗
Application Proxy
Why it's wrong here
Application Proxy provides remote access to on-premises apps, not credential protection.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SSPR (a self-service recovery tool) with a proactive attack prevention feature, but SSPR does not block credential attacks—it only helps users after they are locked out or have forgotten their password.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Password Protection enforces password policies at the time of password change or reset by comparing the new password against a dynamic banned list that includes common patterns (e.g., 'Contoso2024!') and custom words. Identity Protection leverages machine learning models to evaluate sign-in risk scores (low, medium, high) based on signals like unfamiliar sign-in properties or leaked credentials from public breach databases, and can trigger conditional access policies to block or challenge the user. In a real-world scenario, an attacker using a password spray tool would be blocked by Password Protection if the guessed password is on the banned list, and Identity Protection would detect the anomalous sign-in pattern from multiple failed attempts.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions — This question tests Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Password Protection — Password Protection is correct because it specifically targets credential attacks by blocking weak passwords and common variations (e.g., 'Password123!') using a global banned password list and the option to add custom terms. Identity Protection is correct because it uses real-time risk detection (e.g., leaked credentials, anonymous IP addresses) to automatically block or require MFA for suspicious sign-ins, directly mitigating credential-based attacks like password spray or brute force.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 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. Which TWO features of Microsoft Entra ID help protect against credential compromise? (Choose two.)
easy
A.Microsoft Entra Conditional Access
B.Microsoft Entra Identity Protection
✓ C.Microsoft Entra Password Protection
✓ D.Microsoft Entra Smart Lockout
E.Microsoft Entra access reviews
Why C: Options A and D are correct. Password protection bans weak passwords and smart lockout prevents brute force attacks. Option B is wrong because Conditional Access controls access after authentication. Option C is wrong because Identity Protection detects risky sign-ins but does not directly protect against credential compromise. Option E is wrong because access reviews are for governance.
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This AZ-305 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-305 exam.
Question Discussion
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