Question 799 of 913

Develop a security and compliance plan →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

AZ-400 Develop a security and compliance plan Practice Question

This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of develop a security and compliance plan. 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.

Your development team uses GitHub Enterprise with GitHub Actions for CI/CD. The security team wants to ensure that all secrets used in workflows are stored in GitHub Secrets and that they are not accessible to forked repositories. Currently, some workflows reference secrets directly in YAML files. You need to implement a solution that meets the following requirements: (1) Secrets must be stored in GitHub Secrets, not in YAML files. (2) Workflows triggered from forked repositories must not have access to organization secrets. (3) Auditors must be able to see which workflows access which secrets.

Option A: Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, configure the repository to require approval for all external contributions, and enable audit logging for secret usage.

Option B: Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, and in the repository settings, disable 'Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests' and enable 'Fork pull request workflows from outside collaborators' to require approval.

Option C: Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, and in the organization settings, enable 'Private repository fork policy' to only allow forks from within the organization, and use environment secrets with required reviewers.

Option D: Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, and for each workflow that uses secrets, add a condition to check if the event is from a fork, and if so, skip the step.

Which option best satisfies all requirements?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

Question 1easymultiple choice

Full question →

A
Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, and for each workflow that uses secrets, add a condition to check if the event is from a fork, and if so, skip the step
Why wrong: This is error-prone and not a policy-level enforcement.
B
Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, configure the repository to require approval for all external contributions, and enable audit logging for secret usage
This meets all requirements: secrets in GitHub Secrets, fork access controlled via approval, and audit logging available.
C
Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, and in the repository settings, disable 'Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests' and enable 'Fork pull request workflows from outside collaborators' to require approval
Why wrong: This does not prevent forked repos from accessing secrets if the workflow is approved.
D
Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, and in the organization settings, enable 'Private repository fork policy' to only allow forks from within the organization, and use environment secrets with required reviewers
Why wrong: This only restricts who can fork, but if a fork is made, secrets might still be accessible.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, configure the repository to require approval for all external contributions, and enable audit logging for secret usage

Option A is correct. By moving secrets to GitHub Secrets, they are not in YAML. Requiring approval for external contributions ensures forked repos do not get access to secrets (since secrets are not passed to workflows triggered by pull requests from forks unless explicitly approved). Audit logging tracks secret usage. Option B does not address fork access to secrets. Option C restricts forks but does not prevent secret exposure if a fork is made. Option D is a workaround but not a policy-level solution.

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.

✗
Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, and for each workflow that uses secrets, add a condition to check if the event is from a fork, and if so, skip the step
Why it's wrong here
This is error-prone and not a policy-level enforcement.
✓
Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, configure the repository to require approval for all external contributions, and enable audit logging for secret usage
Why this is correct
This meets all requirements: secrets in GitHub Secrets, fork access controlled via approval, and audit logging available.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, and in the repository settings, disable 'Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests' and enable 'Fork pull request workflows from outside collaborators' to require approval
Why it's wrong here
This does not prevent forked repos from accessing secrets if the workflow is approved.
✗
Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, and in the organization settings, enable 'Private repository fork policy' to only allow forks from within the organization, and use environment secrets with required reviewers
Why it's wrong here
This only restricts who can fork, but if a fork is made, secrets might still be accessible.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which AZ-400 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this AZ-400 question test?

Develop a security and compliance plan — This question tests Develop a security and compliance plan — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Move all secrets to GitHub Secrets, configure the repository to require approval for all external contributions, and enable audit logging for secret usage — Option A is correct. By moving secrets to GitHub Secrets, they are not in YAML. Requiring approval for external contributions ensures forked repos do not get access to secrets (since secrets are not passed to workflows triggered by pull requests from forks unless explicitly approved). Audit logging tracks secret usage. Option B does not address fork access to secrets. Option C restricts forks but does not prevent secret exposure if a fork is made. Option D is a workaround but not a policy-level solution.

What should I do if I get this AZ-400 question wrong?

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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