Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company has deployed several Windows and Linux virtual machines in an Azure virtual network. For security reasons, the virtual machines have no public IP addresses assigned. The IT administrators need to securely connect to these VMs using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for Windows and Secure Shell (SSH) for Linux without deploying any additional agents on the VMs. The connection must be established directly from the Azure portal, and the service must provide protection against port scanning and brute-force attacks. Which Azure service should the company use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Just-in-time (JIT) VM access (Microsoft Defender for Cloud)
Just-in-time VM access reduces the attack surface by temporarily opening ports to specific IP addresses, but it requires the VMs to have public IP addresses and does not provide a direct RDP/SSH session from the Azure portal without a public IP.
B
Best answer
Azure Bastion
Azure Bastion is a fully managed PaaS service that provides secure RDP and SSH access to virtual machines directly from the Azure portal. It uses SSL and is deployed inside the virtual network, so VMs do not need public IPs, and the service protects against port scanning and brute-force attacks.
C
Distractor review
Azure Firewall
Azure Firewall is a managed, cloud-based network security service that protects Azure Virtual Network resources by filtering inbound and outbound traffic. It does not provide RDP/SSH connectivity to virtual machines from the Azure portal.
D
Distractor review
Azure VPN Gateway
Azure VPN Gateway is used to create site-to-site or point-to-site VPN connections to an Azure virtual network. While administrators can connect to a VNet via VPN and then RDP/SSH to VMs, this requires the VMs to have private IPs accessible after VPN connection. It does not provide a direct portal-based RDP/SSH session with built-in protection against port scanning, and it typically involves additional configuration and client software.
Common exam trap
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.
Technical deep dive
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.
Related practice questions
Related AZ-900 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A developer is building a serverless application that requires integration with an on-premises SQL Server database for real-time data processing. The on-premises network is connected to Azure via a site-to-site VPN. Which Azure service would allow the function to securely access the on-premises database without exposing it to the public internet?
Question 2
A solutions architect is designing a storage solution for a large media company. The company needs to store video files that are accessed infrequently but must be retained for several years for compliance. Which two Azure storage options meet these requirements? (Select two.)
Question 3
A company deploys a multi-tier application using Azure virtual machines. The web tier VMs must be evenly distributed across two distinct data centers within an Azure region to avoid a single point of failure from an infrastructure outage. Which Azure construct should they use to meet this requirement?
Question 4
A company wants to enforce a set of security policies across all their Azure subscriptions. They have created several individual policy definitions. Which Azure construct should they use to group these policies together and assign them as a single package?
Question 5
A company deploys a line-of-business application on an Azure virtual machine. The IT team wants to ensure the application remains secure. According to the shared responsibility model, which of the following security tasks is the sole responsibility of the customer (the company)?
Question 6
A company develops a web API that runs on Azure App Service. The development team wants to deploy a new version of the API to a staging environment, run integration tests against it, and then gradually shift production traffic to the new version. If any issues are detected, they want to immediately roll back to the previous version without redeploying. Which Azure App Service feature should the team use to meet these requirements?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Bastion — Azure Bastion provides secure, seamless RDP and SSH connectivity to virtual machines directly from the Azure portal, using TLS. The VMs do not need public IP addresses, and Bastion is deployed inside the virtual network, protecting against port scanning and brute-force attacks because the VMs are never exposed to the internet. Just-in-time VM access requires a public IP and an agent; Azure Firewall controls network traffic but does not provide portal-based RDP/SSH; Azure VPN Gateway is for site-to-site or point-to-site connectivity and still requires VMs to have public IPs or internal connectivity, and does not offer the same portal-based seamless RDP/SSH experience with built-in threat protection.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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