AZ-400 Develop a security and compliance plan Practice Question
Your DevOps team is using Microsoft Defender for Cloud to monitor Azure resources. Which of the following is a security recommendation that Defender for Cloud might provide?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse security recommendations with operational shortcuts, such as disabling auditing or using HTTP, thinking they reduce overhead, when in fact Defender for Cloud always promotes security hardening and compliance.
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
✓
Enable Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) on SQL databases
Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides security recommendations based on best practices and compliance frameworks. Enabling Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) on SQL databases is a standard security recommendation because it encrypts data at rest, protecting against unauthorized access to the physical database files. This aligns with the 'Develop a security and compliance plan' domain, as TDE helps meet regulatory requirements like GDPR or HIPAA.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Allow all inbound traffic on port 22 for SSH
Why it's wrong here
Allowing all inbound traffic on port 22 exposes your virtual machines to brute-force attacks and unauthorized access. Defender for Cloud flags this as a security vulnerability; you should restrict SSH access to specific source IPs or use Azure Bastion/just-in-time VM access.
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Enable Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) on SQL databases
Why this is correct
Enabling Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) encrypts SQL database data files, transaction logs, and backups at rest, protecting against data exfiltration if storage is compromised. This is a recommended security control in Defender for Cloud and helps meet compliance requirements for encryption at rest.
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Disable auditing on storage accounts to reduce overhead
Why it's wrong here
Disabling auditing on storage accounts reduces operational overhead but eliminates critical visibility into access patterns, including failed authentication and suspicious read/write operations. Defender for Cloud considers auditing a security best practice because it enables forensic analysis and detection of data breaches, so disabling it is not recommended.
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Configure web apps to use HTTP instead of HTTPS
Why it's wrong here
Configuring web apps to use HTTP instead of HTTPS would leave all traffic unencrypted and vulnerable to eavesdropping, data tampering, and man-in-the-middle attacks. Defender for Cloud enforces HTTPS by requiring TLS termination to protect data in transit; HTTP should always redirect to HTTPS, never the reverse.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-400 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-400 exam.