MS-102 Practice Question: Manage security and threats by using Microsoft Defender XDR
As a Microsoft 365 administrator, you need to ensure that sensitive data is not shared externally via email. You configure Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies in Microsoft Purview. What is the primary purpose of a DLP policy?
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
✓
Detect and prevent the sharing of sensitive information via email and other channels.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies in Microsoft Purview are designed to detect and prevent the sharing of sensitive information via email, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and other channels. Option A is incorrect because DLP does not block all external emails; it only blocks specific sensitive data. Option B is incorrect because blocking inbound emails from untrusted domains is typically handled by anti-spam or anti-phishing policies in Exchange Online Protection. Option C is incorrect because email encryption is provided by Azure Information Protection or Office 365 Message Encryption, not DLP.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Prevent users from sending any external email.
Why it's wrong here
DLP policies are condition-based and inspect message content for defined sensitive data types, such as credit card numbers or personally identifiable information. They are not designed to perform blanket email restrictions, and blocking all outbound external email would be accomplished with an Exchange mail flow rule or a centralized transport rule. Such an indiscriminate action would also disrupt legitimate business communications, which is why DLP only takes action when a policy match is detected.
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Block all inbound emails from untrusted domains.
Why it's wrong here
DLP does not function as an inbound email filtering layer; its focus is on protecting data from leaving your organization across Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. Inbound email from untrusted domains is typically handled by Exchange Online Protection (EOP) through anti-spam policies, connection filtering, and spoof intelligence, not by DLP. DLP policies evaluate outbound content against sensitive information types, not the reputation of sender domains.
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Encrypt all outgoing emails automatically.
Why it's wrong here
While DLP can be configured to apply Microsoft Purview Message Encryption as an action when sensitive data is detected, it is not an encryption service and does not automatically encrypt all outgoing mail. Enforcing encryption on every outbound message is a transport rule or Information Rights Management (IRM) policy scenario, independent of DLP. DLP is fundamentally a content inspection and policy enforcement engine for data loss prevention, not a blanket confidentiality mechanism.
- ✓
Detect and prevent the sharing of sensitive information via email and other channels.
Why this is correct
This is precisely the purpose of Microsoft Purview DLP: it uses sensitive information types, trainable classifiers, and exact data match to detect and prevent the unauthorized sharing of sensitive data across email, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and endpoints. When a policy match occurs, DLP can block transmission, notify users with tips, or restrict access, thereby protecting regulated data such as financial and health information. DLP's scope extends beyond email to multiple channels, making this the accurate description of its core functionality.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Exchange Transport Rules and Mail Flow
Key term
Exchange Online
Exchange Online is Microsoft's cloud-based email, calendar, and contact hosting service that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite, allowing organizations to manage corporate messaging without maintaining their own mail servers.
Key term
Policy
A policy is a set of rules or guidelines that defines how an organization manages, secures, and operates its IT systems and services.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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