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 organization uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Azure DevOps. Security teams need to automatically detect and block secrets (e.g., passwords, keys) pushed to Azure Repos. Which TWO actions should you take?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable push protection for secrets in Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Option A (Enable push protection for secrets via Microsoft Defender for Cloud) provides real-time blocking. Option D (Configure repository-level secret scanning in GitHub Advanced Security for Azure Repos) is the feature that actually scans and blocks secrets. Option B is wrong because Microsoft Purview focuses on data classification, not real-time secret scanning. Option C is wrong because branch policies control PRs, not pushes. Option E is wrong because key vault secrets are for storage, not scanning.
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.
✓
Enable push protection for secrets in Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Why this is correct
Push protection blocks secrets during push.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Set branch policies to require a pull request for all changes.
Why it's wrong here
Branch policies require PRs but don't scan secrets.
✗
Store all secrets in Azure Key Vault and reference them in pipelines.
Why it's wrong here
Key Vault stores secrets but doesn't scan repos.
✓
Enable secret scanning in GitHub Advanced Security for Azure Repos.
Why this is correct
Secret scanning detects and blocks secrets.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure Microsoft Purview Information Protection to scan repositories.
Why it's wrong here
Purview is for data classification, not real-time scanning.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-400 question in full detail.
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.
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: Enable push protection for secrets in Microsoft Defender for Cloud. — Option A (Enable push protection for secrets via Microsoft Defender for Cloud) provides real-time blocking. Option D (Configure repository-level secret scanning in GitHub Advanced Security for Azure Repos) is the feature that actually scans and blocks secrets. Option B is wrong because Microsoft Purview focuses on data classification, not real-time secret scanning. Option C is wrong because branch policies control PRs, not pushes. Option E is wrong because key vault secrets are for storage, not scanning.
What should I do if I get this AZ-400 question wrong?
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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