AZ-400 Design and implement source control Practice Question
This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of design and implement source control. 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.
A developer accidentally committed a sensitive password to a Git repository. The commit has already been pushed to the remote. What is the first step to remediate the situation?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Remove the password from the file, amend the commit, and force push
Option B is correct because the password has already been pushed to the remote, meaning it exists in the commit history. Simply deleting the file or reverting the commit does not remove the password from the Git history; anyone with access to the repository can still retrieve it. The proper first step is to remove the password from the file, amend the commit (using `git commit --amend`), and force push (`git push --force`) to overwrite the remote history, effectively erasing the sensitive data from the branch.
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.
✗
Delete the file from the repository and commit the deletion
Why it's wrong here
Deleting does not remove the password from previous commits.
✓
Remove the password from the file, amend the commit, and force push
Why this is correct
Amending removes the password from the commit and force push updates the remote.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Revert the commit that introduced the password
Why it's wrong here
Reverting adds a new commit but the password remains in history.
✗
Immediately notify the security team and rotate the password
Why it's wrong here
Important but not the first step to remove the secret from source control.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'reverting' (which adds a new commit) with 'removing from history' (which requires amending or interactive rebase and force push), leading them to choose Option C as a safe alternative.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When you force push an amended commit, Git rewrites the commit object with a new SHA-1 hash, effectively replacing the old commit in the branch history. However, the old commit still exists in the repository's object database until garbage collection (`git gc`) runs, which typically takes 90 days by default. In a real-world scenario, if the password was pushed to a shared branch (e.g., `main`), you must also coordinate with all collaborators to rebase their work onto the new history to avoid reintroducing the old commit via merge.
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-400 question in full detail.
Design and implement source control — This question tests Design and implement source control — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Remove the password from the file, amend the commit, and force push — Option B is correct because the password has already been pushed to the remote, meaning it exists in the commit history. Simply deleting the file or reverting the commit does not remove the password from the Git history; anyone with access to the repository can still retrieve it. The proper first step is to remove the password from the file, amend the commit (using `git commit --amend`), and force push (`git push --force`) to overwrite the remote history, effectively erasing the sensitive data from the branch.
What should I do if I get this AZ-400 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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