AZ-500 Secure identity and access Practice Question
You are the identity security engineer for a multinational company that uses Microsoft Entra ID. The company has recently experienced a security breach where an attacker compromised a non-administrator user account and then used that account to enumerate all users in the tenant. The attacker then attempted to brute-force passwords for high-privilege accounts. To prevent such attacks, management requires the following:
- Users with administrative roles must use phishing-resistant MFA. - Any sign-in from a risky IP address must be blocked. - Users must not be able to enumerate directory information via the Graph API unless they have a specific role. - The solution should be implemented using built-in Microsoft Entra ID features.
What should you configure?
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
✓
Configure Conditional Access policy with authentication strength for admins requiring phishing-resistant MFA. Configure Identity Protection sign-in risk policy to block risky sign-ins. Restrict access to the Graph API by requiring a specific role assignment.
Phishing-resistant MFA can be enforced via Conditional Access with authentication strength. Sign-in risk policies in Identity Protection can block sign-ins from risky IPs. To prevent directory enumeration, you can restrict access to the Graph API by requiring a specific role assignment. Option A is wrong because Security defaults enforce MFA but do not block all enumeration. Option C is wrong because PIM does not block enumeration. Option D is wrong because access reviews do not block enumeration.
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 Security defaults and configure Identity Protection user risk policy to block high-risk users.
Why it's wrong here
Security defaults enforce a baseline level of MFA, but they allow any MFA method, including push notifications and OTPs, which are vulnerable to phishing and MFA fatigue rather than being phishing-resistant. The Identity Protection user risk policy only evaluates the user's historical risk score (e.g., leaked credentials) and does not block individual sign-in attempts from anonymous IPs or bots used for enumeration. Additionally, security defaults cannot apply granular access restrictions to Microsoft Graph, leaving directory objects exposed to any authenticated user.
- ✓
Configure Conditional Access policy with authentication strength for admins requiring phishing-resistant MFA. Configure Identity Protection sign-in risk policy to block risky sign-ins. Restrict access to the Graph API by requiring a specific role assignment.
Why this is correct
This is the correct answer because it layers three complementary controls that directly counter the attacker's tactic. Conditional Access with an authentication strength policy requiring phishing-resistant MFA (such as FIDO2 or Windows Hello) prevents credential theft and token replay that bypass ordinary MFA. The Identity Protection sign-in risk policy blocks sign-ins in real time when the risk level is high, such as those coming from anonymous IP addresses or anomalous locations. Restricting access to the Microsoft Graph API by requiring a specific role assignment ensures that only authorized identities can enumerate directory objects, closing the enumeration vector.
- ✗
Configure Conditional Access policy for admins to require phishing-resistant MFA. Use PIM to require approval. Enable Identity Protection sign-in risk policy.
Why it's wrong here
This option includes phishing-resistant MFA and a sign-in risk policy, which are strong, but it fails to restrict access to the Microsoft Graph API, so a compromised non-admin user can still enumerate the directory. PIM requiring approval adds friction to role activation, yet enumeration does not require an activated admin role — any authenticated user with default directory permissions can query basic tenant objects. The Conditional Access policy aimed at admins misses the broader population of users who can access Graph endpoints without holding an admin role.
- ✗
Configure PIM for all admin roles. Create access reviews for all users. Enable Identity Protection to detect risky sign-ins.
Why it's wrong here
Configuring PIM for all admin roles enforces just-in-time access, but an attacker who has phished a credential does not need to activate an admin role to enumerate directories. Access reviews are a periodic recertification control that operates on a long cycle, not a real-time preventive block, so enumeration attempts are not stopped when they happen. Identity Protection's detection of risky sign-ins only generates alerts and does not block the initial enumeration request. This option lacks both a sign-in risk blocking policy and Graph API access restriction, which are the necessary preventive controls.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-500 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-500 exam.