The answer is to enable the 'Require Defender for Endpoint' setting in the Windows compliance policy. This is necessary because the Intune Defender for Endpoint compliance policy has two distinct checks: one that verifies the Defender for Endpoint sensor is installed and running, and another that evaluates the reported threat level. Without explicitly enabling the sensor requirement, the policy only enforces the threat level condition, meaning a device without the sensor but reporting no threat data could still be marked compliant. On the MD-102 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how compliance policies and conditional access work together to enforce endpoint security, and it is a common trap where administrators assume threat level enforcement alone covers sensor presence. A key memory tip is to think of it as a two-step gate: first confirm the sensor is on, then check the threat level—never skip the first step.
MD-102 Manage and maintain devices Practice Question
This MD-102 practice question tests your understanding of manage and maintain devices. 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.
You are the Intune administrator for Contoso Ltd., a company with 5,000 Windows 11 devices and 1,000 iOS devices managed by Microsoft Intune. The company uses Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for threat detection. You need to implement a solution that ensures devices are compliant before they can access corporate resources. You have the following requirements: 1. Windows devices must have Defender for Endpoint running and report a threat level of 'low' or better. 2. iOS devices must have a PIN of at least 6 characters and be jailbreak-detected as 'not jailbroken'. 3. If a device becomes noncompliant, it should be blocked immediately with no grace period. 4. Noncompliant devices should receive a notification to the user. You create compliance policies for Windows and iOS. You also create a conditional access policy in Microsoft Entra ID to require compliant devices. After deploying, you find that some Windows devices that are missing Defender for Endpoint are still able to access email. What should you do to resolve this issue?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Clue: "immediately / without restart"
Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable the 'Require Defender for Endpoint' setting in the Windows compliance policy.
Option C is correct because the Windows compliance policy must explicitly have the 'Require Defender for Endpoint' setting enabled to enforce that the Defender for Endpoint sensor is present and active on the device. Without this setting, the compliance policy only checks the threat level reported by Defender for Endpoint but does not require the sensor to be installed or running. Enabling this setting ensures that devices missing the Defender for Endpoint sensor are marked as noncompliant, which then triggers the conditional access policy to block access to corporate resources like email.
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.
✗
Configure a notification to users when their device is noncompliant.
Why it's wrong here
Notifications don't affect access.
✗
Modify the conditional access policy to require a compliant device and a specific client app.
Enable the 'Require Defender for Endpoint' setting in the Windows compliance policy.
Why this is correct
This setting ensures devices without the agent are marked noncompliant.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "least", "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Set the required threat level to 'medium' in the Windows compliance policy.
Why it's wrong here
Threat level setting doesn't affect devices without the agent.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume that setting the required threat level to 'low' automatically enforces the presence of Defender for Endpoint, but in reality, the threat level check only evaluates the last reported threat score, not the sensor's installation or running state.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The 'Require Defender for Endpoint' setting in the Windows compliance policy triggers the Intune client to verify that the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint sensor is installed, running, and reporting health status via the OMA-URI ./Vendor/MSFT/Defender/Configuration/DeviceTag. Without this setting, the compliance policy only evaluates the threat level reported by the Defender for Endpoint cloud service, which may not be available if the sensor is missing. In a real-world scenario, a device could have Defender for Endpoint disabled or uninstalled yet still report a 'low' threat level from a previous scan, leading to a false compliant state.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this MD-102 question in full detail.
Manage and maintain devices — This question tests Manage and maintain devices — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable the 'Require Defender for Endpoint' setting in the Windows compliance policy. — Option C is correct because the Windows compliance policy must explicitly have the 'Require Defender for Endpoint' setting enabled to enforce that the Defender for Endpoint sensor is present and active on the device. Without this setting, the compliance policy only checks the threat level reported by Defender for Endpoint but does not require the sensor to be installed or running. Enabling this setting ensures that devices missing the Defender for Endpoint sensor are marked as noncompliant, which then triggers the conditional access policy to block access to corporate resources like email.
What should I do if I get this MD-102 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: "least", "immediately / without restart". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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