- A
The service connection is configured to use the wrong Azure subscription.
Why wrong: The subscription is used for targeting Azure resources, not for Key Vault access.
- B
The secret name in the variable group does not match the secret name in Key Vault.
Why wrong: A mismatch would cause 'secret not found', not 'access denied'.
- C
The service principal used by the service connection does not have Contributor role on the Key Vault.
Why wrong: Key Vault uses access policies, not Azure RBAC (unless configured), and the error is about secrets, not the vault itself.
- D
The build service identity does not have Get and List permissions on the Key Vault secrets.
The build service identity (project collection or project level) must be granted access to Key Vault for variable group resolution.
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. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 organization uses Azure DevOps and Azure Key Vault to manage secrets. You have a pipeline that deploys a web app to Azure App Service. The pipeline uses a variable group linked to Key Vault to retrieve the database connection string. Recently, the build started failing with the error: 'Access to Key Vault is denied. Please ensure the service connection has Get and List permissions on secrets.' The service connection uses a service principal. You have verified that the service principal has the correct Key Vault access policy with Get and List permissions. What is the most likely cause of the failure?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
The build service identity does not have Get and List permissions on the Key Vault secrets.
The error message indicates that the identity attempting to access Key Vault lacks the required permissions. Even though the service principal has the correct access policy, the pipeline may be using a different identity—the build service identity—to authenticate with Key Vault. In Azure DevOps, when a variable group is linked to Key Vault, the pipeline's build service identity (not the service connection's service principal) must have Get and List permissions on the Key Vault secrets. This is a common misconfiguration where the service principal is granted permissions but the build service identity is not.
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.
- ✗
The service connection is configured to use the wrong Azure subscription.
Why it's wrong here
The subscription is used for targeting Azure resources, not for Key Vault access.
- ✗
The secret name in the variable group does not match the secret name in Key Vault.
Why it's wrong here
A mismatch would cause 'secret not found', not 'access denied'.
- ✗
The service principal used by the service connection does not have Contributor role on the Key Vault.
Why it's wrong here
Key Vault uses access policies, not Azure RBAC (unless configured), and the error is about secrets, not the vault itself.
- ✓
The build service identity does not have Get and List permissions on the Key Vault secrets.
Why this is correct
The build service identity (project collection or project level) must be granted access to Key Vault for variable group resolution.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the service principal configured in the service connection is the identity used to access Key Vault, but in reality, Azure DevOps uses the build service identity for variable group secret retrieval, leading to a permissions mismatch.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure DevOps pipelines use a build service identity (e.g., 'Project Collection Build Service ({Organization Name})') to authenticate when accessing variable groups linked to Key Vault. This identity is distinct from the service principal used in a service connection. The Key Vault access policy must explicitly grant Get and List permissions to this build service identity's object ID. In scenarios where the pipeline uses a self-hosted agent, the agent's managed identity or service principal may also need permissions, but for Microsoft-hosted agents, the build service identity is the default.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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: The build service identity does not have Get and List permissions on the Key Vault secrets. — The error message indicates that the identity attempting to access Key Vault lacks the required permissions. Even though the service principal has the correct access policy, the pipeline may be using a different identity—the build service identity—to authenticate with Key Vault. In Azure DevOps, when a variable group is linked to Key Vault, the pipeline's build service identity (not the service connection's service principal) must have Get and List permissions on the Key Vault secrets. This is a common misconfiguration where the service principal is granted permissions but the build service identity is not.
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: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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