The correct answer is to configure a Safe Links policy with the setting 'Do not allow users to click through to original URL' selected. This works because Safe Links proactively rewrites URLs in email messages and Office documents, routing clicks through Microsoft’s scanning infrastructure; when a link is deemed malicious, this specific policy setting blocks the user from bypassing the warning page and proceeding to the dangerous site. On the MS-102 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between Defender for Office 365 protection features—a common trap is confusing Safe Links with Safe Attachments, which handles file-borne threats, or with anti-phishing policies that focus on impersonation detection. Remember that Safe Links controls click behavior on URLs, while Safe Attachments controls file execution. A helpful memory tip: "Safe Links locks the click, Safe Attachments blocks the file."
MS-102 Practice Question: Manage security and threats by using Microsoft Defender XDR
This MS-102 practice question tests your understanding of manage security and threats by using microsoft defender xdr. 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.
A company uses Microsoft Defender for Office 365. They want to ensure that users cannot ignore warning messages when clicking on a malicious link in an email. What should they configure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure a Safe Links policy with 'Do not allow users to click through to original URL' selected.
Safe Links policies allow you to prevent users from clicking through to the original URL. Option C is correct. Option A is wrong because Safe Attachments is for attachments. Option B is wrong because anti-phishing policies do not control link click behavior. Option D is wrong because ATP anti-malware is for malware.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 the anti-phishing policy with 'Impersonation protection' enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Impersonation protection does not control link clicks.
✓
Configure a Safe Links policy with 'Do not allow users to click through to original URL' selected.
Why this is correct
This prevents users from bypassing the warning.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Enable the 'Anti-malware' policy with 'Common attachments filter'.
Why it's wrong here
Anti-malware policy filters attachments.
✗
Configure a Safe Attachments policy with 'Block' action.
Why it's wrong here
Safe Attachments is for attachments, not links.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this MS-102 question in full detail.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related MS-102 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Manage security and threats by using Microsoft Defender XDR — This question tests Manage security and threats by using Microsoft Defender XDR — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure a Safe Links policy with 'Do not allow users to click through to original URL' selected. — Safe Links policies allow you to prevent users from clicking through to the original URL. Option C is correct. Option A is wrong because Safe Attachments is for attachments. Option B is wrong because anti-phishing policies do not control link click behavior. Option D is wrong because ATP anti-malware is for malware.
What should I do if I get this MS-102 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related MS-102 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
About these practice questions
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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 uses Microsoft Defender for Office 365. Users report that phishing emails with malicious links are occasionally delivered to their inboxes. The security team wants to ensure that suspicious URLs are detonated in a sandbox before delivery for all recipients. What should the security team configure?
medium
✓ A.Configure a Safe Links policy with 'Use Safe Attachments to scan content' enabled.
B.Enable the 'Block URLs' option in the anti-phishing policy.
C.Configure a Safe Attachments policy for email messages.
D.Enable 'Safe Links for Microsoft Teams' in the global settings.
Why A: Safe Links for email messages scans URLs at time of click, but to detonate before delivery, you need to enable Safe Attachments for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams, or use a policy that triggers sandbox analysis. However, to detonate URLs before delivery, you need to configure a Safe Links policy with 'Do not track user clicks' and 'Do not allow users to click through to original URL' and ensure 'Scan URLs in email messages' is enabled and 'Use Safe Attachments to scan content' is selected. Actually, the correct answer is to enable 'Use Safe Attachments to scan content' in a Safe Links policy, which triggers sandbox detonation of URLs in email. Option C is correct because Safe Links with sandbox detonation (Safe Attachments scanning) is the recommended approach. Option A is wrong because Safe Attachments for email scans attachments, not URLs. Option B is wrong because that policy does not detonate URLs. Option D is wrong because it only scans at click time.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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