MD-102 Protect devices Practice Question
You use Microsoft Intune to manage Windows 11 devices. You need to configure a device compliance policy that automatically marks devices as noncompliant if they do not have a specific antivirus signature version installed. The signature version is updated daily. Which compliance setting should you configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse machine risk score with signature version; machine risk score uses threat intelligence from Defender for Endpoint, not the age of antivirus definitions.
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
✓
Require the device to have up-to-date security intelligence.
The compliance setting 'Require the device to have up-to-date security intelligence' allows you to specify how many days old the antivirus signatures can be. By setting this to one day, you ensure that devices with signatures older than one day are marked noncompliant. This is the only setting among the options that directly evaluates the security intelligence version, making it the correct choice.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Require the device to have an active firewall.
Why it's wrong here
The active firewall setting checks whether Windows Defender Firewall is enabled and properly configured. It has no relation to antivirus signature versions. Even if the firewall is active, the device could have outdated signatures. Thus, this setting does not satisfy the requirement to enforce a specific signature version.
- ✗
Require the device to be at or under the machine risk score.
Why it's wrong here
The machine risk score setting uses Microsoft Defender for Endpoint risk signals to determine compliance, not antivirus signature versions. It evaluates the overall risk level of the device based on active threats, not the currency of signature definitions. This setting would not enforce a specific signature version and is therefore incorrect for the stated requirement.
- ✗
Require the device to have a minimum OS version.
Why it's wrong here
The minimum OS version setting ensures the device is running a specific Windows build or higher. It does not inspect antivirus signature versions. While OS updates can include Defender updates, they are separate mechanisms. This setting cannot enforce a daily signature version, so it does not meet the scenario's needs.
- ✓
Require the device to have up-to-date security intelligence.
Why this is correct
The 'Require the device to have up-to-date security intelligence' setting in a Windows compliance policy checks whether the Microsoft Defender antivirus security intelligence (signature) version is current. You can configure the maximum number of days allowed since the last update. This directly enforces that devices have recent signatures, aligning with the daily update requirement.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Updating Devices with Windows Update for Business
Key term
Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that helps organizations manage employee devices, apps, and security policies without needing to own or control the physical hardware.
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
About these practice questions
This MD-102 question is part of Courseiva's 556-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
This MD-102 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 MD-102 exam.