The answer is DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceNetworkEvents. This is correct because process-to-network correlation in advanced hunting requires linking a process creation event—where winword.exe spawns a child process—to the outbound network connection made by that child process, which is recorded in DeviceNetworkEvents. On the Microsoft 365 Administrator MS-102 exam, this tests your ability to understand how Advanced Hunting tables map to specific security events, and a common trap is confusing DeviceEvents (which handles system-level actions like registry changes) with DeviceNetworkEvents. To remember, think of the chain: ProcessEvents captures the “who” (the spawning), while NetworkEvents captures the “where” (the outbound IP), and you join them on DeviceId with a timestamp window. A useful mnemonic is “Process spawns, Network connects—join on DeviceId to detect the threat.”
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. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. A key principle to apply: deviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships.. 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 security analyst wants to create a custom detection rule in Microsoft 365 Defender Advanced Hunting that alerts when a process spawned by Microsoft Word (winword.exe) makes an outbound connection to a known malicious IP address. Which two Advanced Hunting tables must be joined in the KQL query?
DeviceProcessEvents provides process creation details, and DeviceNetworkEvents provides network connection details. Joining them correlates a process to its network connections.
B
DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceEvents
DeviceEvents includes many event types but not a dedicated table for network connections; DeviceNetworkEvents is the appropriate table.
C
DeviceNetworkEvents and IdentityLogonEvents
Why wrong: IdentityLogonEvents are for user logon events, not process or network details.
D
DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceFileEvents
Why wrong: DeviceFileEvents is for file creation/modification, not network connections.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceNetworkEvents
To detect a process spawned by winword.exe making an outbound connection to a known malicious IP, you need to first identify the process creation event (parent-child relationship) in DeviceProcessEvents, then correlate it with the network connection event in DeviceNetworkEvents. Joining these two tables on DeviceId and a timestamp window allows you to link the specific process (winword.exe) to its outbound network activity.
Key principle: DeviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceNetworkEvents
Why this is correct
DeviceProcessEvents provides process creation details, and DeviceNetworkEvents provides network connection details. Joining them correlates a process to its network connections.
Related concept
DeviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships.
✓
DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceEvents
Why this is correct
DeviceEvents includes many event types but not a dedicated table for network connections; DeviceNetworkEvents is the appropriate table.
Related concept
DeviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships.
✗
DeviceNetworkEvents and IdentityLogonEvents
Why it's wrong here
IdentityLogonEvents are for user logon events, not process or network details.
✗
DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceFileEvents
Why it's wrong here
DeviceFileEvents is for file creation/modification, not network connections.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates mistakenly think DeviceEvents (which includes security alerts) can substitute for network connection data, but DeviceNetworkEvents is the only table that records actual outbound IP addresses and ports.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Advanced Hunting tables are optimized for time-series joins; the typical join uses DeviceId and a 1-minute window on Timestamp to correlate the process creation (DeviceProcessEvents) with the subsequent network connection (DeviceNetworkEvents). A subtle behavior is that winword.exe may spawn multiple child processes (e.g., cmd.exe, powershell.exe), so the detection must filter on InitiatingProcessFileName = 'winword.exe' in DeviceProcessEvents and then join to DeviceNetworkEvents where the child process (ProcessId) makes the outbound connection. In a real-world scenario, this pattern catches macro-based malware that launches a PowerShell payload to connect to a C2 server.
KKey Concepts to Remember
DeviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships.
DeviceNetworkEvents logs all network connections made by devices.
Joining tables in KQL correlates data across different event types.
ProcessId is a common field for joining process and network events.
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
DeviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships.
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 MS-102 question in full detail.
Review deviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships., then practise related MS-102 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Manage security and threats by using Microsoft Defender XDR — This question tests Manage security and threats by using Microsoft Defender XDR — DeviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceNetworkEvents — To detect a process spawned by winword.exe making an outbound connection to a known malicious IP, you need to first identify the process creation event (parent-child relationship) in DeviceProcessEvents, then correlate it with the network connection event in DeviceNetworkEvents. Joining these two tables on DeviceId and a timestamp window allows you to link the specific process (winword.exe) to its outbound network activity.
What should I do if I get this MS-102 question wrong?
Review deviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships., then practise related MS-102 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
DeviceProcessEvents tracks process creation, termination, and parent-child relationships.
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Variation 1. A security analyst wants to create a custom detection rule in Microsoft 365 Defender that triggers when a PowerShell process with suspicious command-line arguments is detected on a device, and within 5 minutes, an outbound network connection to a known malicious IP occurs. Which two advanced hunting tables must be joined in the KQL query?
medium
✓ A.DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceNetworkEvents
B.EmailEvents and DeviceNetworkEvents
✓ C.DeviceEvents and DeviceProcessEvents
D.IdentityLogonEvents and DeviceNetworkEvents
Why A: Option A is correct because the detection rule requires correlating a PowerShell process event (stored in DeviceProcessEvents) with a subsequent outbound network connection to a known malicious IP (stored in DeviceNetworkEvents). Joining these two tables on the device ID and timestamp within a 5-minute window allows the KQL query to identify the specific sequence of process execution followed by network activity, which is the core behavior being monitored.
Variation 2. A security analyst is creating a custom detection rule in Microsoft 365 Defender Advanced Hunting. The rule should trigger when a user opens a malicious Office document, which launches a process named cmd.exe from Microsoft Word, and then that cmd.exe process makes an outbound connection to a known malicious IP address. Which two Advanced Hunting tables must be joined in the KQL query?
medium
A.EmailEvents and EmailUrlInfo
✓ B.DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceNetworkEvents
C.DeviceEvents and DeviceLogonEvents
✓ D.DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceRegistryEvents
Why B: Option B is correct because the detection rule requires tracking the process creation (cmd.exe launched from Microsoft Word) and the subsequent network connection from that process to a malicious IP. DeviceProcessEvents captures process creation events, including parent-child relationships, while DeviceNetworkEvents captures outbound network connections initiated by processes. Joining these tables on DeviceId and ProcessId allows correlating the specific cmd.exe instance with its network activity.
Variation 3. A security analyst is creating a custom detection rule in Microsoft 365 Defender Advanced Hunting. The rule should trigger when a device makes an outbound connection to a known malicious IP address, and within 10 minutes, a process with suspicious command-line arguments is started on the same device. Which two Advanced Hunting tables must be joined using a KQL query to create this detection?
medium
✓ A.DeviceNetworkEvents and DeviceProcessEvents.
B.DeviceEvents and DeviceLogonEvents.
✓ C.DeviceProcessEvents and DeviceFileEvents.
D.DeviceNetworkEvents and DeviceRegistryEvents.
Why A: Option A is correct because the detection rule requires correlating outbound network connections (DeviceNetworkEvents) with process creation events (DeviceProcessEvents) on the same device within a 10-minute window. The KQL query would join these two tables on the DeviceId field and use a time filter to ensure the process event occurs within 10 minutes after the network event, enabling the detection of post-connection malicious activity.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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