- A
One inbound rule: Allow HTTPS from 203.0.113.0/24 with priority 100. No other rules. Rely on the default deny-all rule.
Why wrong: The default deny-all rule has priority 65000, which is lower than the allow rule. But any other traffic will be denied by the default rule. However, if there are other allow rules (like default allow vnet inbound), they may allow traffic from other sources. The scenario requires denying all other traffic, so a custom deny rule is needed to override any potential allow rules.
- B
Two inbound rules: Allow HTTPS from 203.0.113.0/24 with priority 100, and Deny All from Any with priority 110.
The allow rule (priority 100) permits HTTPS from the corporate IP. The deny rule (priority 110) blocks all other inbound traffic. Since the deny rule has a lower priority number (higher priority) than any default rules, it effectively blocks everything except the allowed HTTPS traffic.
- C
Two inbound rules: Deny All from Any with priority 100, and Allow HTTPS from 203.0.113.0/24 with priority 110.
Why wrong: The deny rule with priority 100 would block all traffic, including the HTTPS traffic from the corporate IP, because the deny rule is evaluated first (lower number = higher priority). The allow rule would never be applied.
- D
One inbound rule: Deny All from Any with priority 100. No allow rules. Use application security groups.
Why wrong: This would block all inbound traffic, including HTTPS from the corporate network, which is not allowed. ASGs do not change the need for allow rules.
Quick Answer
The answer is two inbound rules: an Allow HTTPS rule from 203.0.113.0/24 with priority 100, followed by a Deny All from Any rule with priority 110. This configuration is correct because NSGs evaluate rules in priority order, with lower numbers processed first. The explicit Allow rule matches HTTPS traffic from the corporate IP range, and the subsequent explicit Deny rule catches all other inbound traffic before the default implicit deny rule ever applies. On the Microsoft Azure Security Engineer Associate AZ-500 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how explicit deny rules override the default implicit deny, and a common trap is assuming a single Allow rule is sufficient—without an explicit deny, the implicit rule only blocks traffic that doesn’t match any rule, but it does not prevent accidental allow from other sources if a higher-priority rule is misconfigured. A useful memory tip: “Explicit deny, priority high—catch all traffic, don’t let it slip by.”
AZ-500 Secure networking Practice Question
This AZ-500 practice question tests your understanding of secure networking. 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.
A company has an Azure virtual network with a subnet hosting internal web applications. The security team needs to allow inbound HTTPS traffic only from the company's corporate network IP range (203.0.113.0/24). All other inbound traffic must be denied. They want to use a network security group (NSG) associated with the subnet. Which inbound security rule configuration meets this requirement?
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
Two inbound rules: Allow HTTPS from 203.0.113.0/24 with priority 100, and Deny All from Any with priority 110.
Option B is correct because NSGs process rules in priority order, and the default implicit deny rule only applies if no explicit rule matches. By placing an explicit 'Deny All from Any' rule with a higher priority number (110) after the explicit 'Allow HTTPS' rule (priority 100), traffic from 203.0.113.0/24 on HTTPS is allowed, and all other inbound traffic is explicitly denied, ensuring no unintended implicit allow or bypass.
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.
- ✗
One inbound rule: Allow HTTPS from 203.0.113.0/24 with priority 100. No other rules. Rely on the default deny-all rule.
Why it's wrong here
The default deny-all rule has priority 65000, which is lower than the allow rule. But any other traffic will be denied by the default rule. However, if there are other allow rules (like default allow vnet inbound), they may allow traffic from other sources. The scenario requires denying all other traffic, so a custom deny rule is needed to override any potential allow rules.
- ✓
Two inbound rules: Allow HTTPS from 203.0.113.0/24 with priority 100, and Deny All from Any with priority 110.
Why this is correct
The allow rule (priority 100) permits HTTPS from the corporate IP. The deny rule (priority 110) blocks all other inbound traffic. Since the deny rule has a lower priority number (higher priority) than any default rules, it effectively blocks everything except the allowed HTTPS traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Two inbound rules: Deny All from Any with priority 100, and Allow HTTPS from 203.0.113.0/24 with priority 110.
Why it's wrong here
The deny rule with priority 100 would block all traffic, including the HTTPS traffic from the corporate IP, because the deny rule is evaluated first (lower number = higher priority). The allow rule would never be applied.
- ✗
One inbound rule: Deny All from Any with priority 100. No allow rules. Use application security groups.
Why it's wrong here
This would block all inbound traffic, including HTTPS from the corporate network, which is not allowed. ASGs do not change the need for allow rules.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume the default deny rule is sufficient, but Azure explicitly requires an explicit deny rule to override the default implicit allow for outbound traffic or to ensure logging and control for inbound traffic, and they may misorder rules by placing the deny before the allow.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
The default deny-all rule has priority 65000, which is lower than the allow rule. But any other traffic will be denied by the default rule. However, if there are other allow rules (like default allow vnet inbound), they may allow traffic from other sources. The scenario requires denying all other traffic, so a custom deny rule is needed to override any potential allow rules.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NSG rules are evaluated in ascending priority order (lower number = higher priority) until a match is found; once a match occurs, no further rules are processed. The default implicit deny rule (priority 65500) only applies if no explicit rule matches, so an explicit deny rule at a higher priority (e.g., 110) ensures that non-matching traffic is denied and logged, providing auditable security. In real-world scenarios, this explicit deny is critical for compliance requirements (e.g., PCI DSS) that mandate logging of denied traffic.
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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Secure networking — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-500 question test?
Secure networking — This question tests Secure networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Two inbound rules: Allow HTTPS from 203.0.113.0/24 with priority 100, and Deny All from Any with priority 110. — Option B is correct because NSGs process rules in priority order, and the default implicit deny rule only applies if no explicit rule matches. By placing an explicit 'Deny All from Any' rule with a higher priority number (110) after the explicit 'Allow HTTPS' rule (priority 100), traffic from 203.0.113.0/24 on HTTPS is allowed, and all other inbound traffic is explicitly denied, ensuring no unintended implicit allow or bypass.
What should I do if I get this AZ-500 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on AZ-500
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company has an Azure virtual network with a subnet hosting web servers. The security policy requires that all inbound HTTP traffic must be sourced from a specific IP address range (203.0.113.0/24). All other inbound traffic must be denied. The subnet is associated with a network security group (NSG). Which set of inbound rules should they configure?
medium- ✓ A.Allow HTTP from 203.0.113.0/24 (priority 100), then Deny all inbound (priority 200)
- B.Deny all inbound (priority 100), then Allow HTTP from 203.0.113.0/24 (priority 200)
- C.Allow HTTP from any (priority 100), then Deny all inbound (priority 200)
- D.Only Allow HTTP from 203.0.113.0/24 (priority 100) with no explicit deny
Why A: Option A is correct because NSG rules are evaluated in priority order (lowest number first). The Allow rule for HTTP from 203.0.113.0/24 at priority 100 permits the desired traffic, and the subsequent Deny all inbound rule at priority 200 blocks all other traffic, including HTTP from any other source. This satisfies the security policy of allowing only HTTP from the specified IP range and denying everything else.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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