How to Automatically Isolate Devices Using Automated Investigation and Response
A security administrator wants to automatically isolate a device in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint whenever a high-severity alert is triggered. The isolation should occur without manual intervention. Which Microsoft Defender XDR feature should be configured?
Quick Answer
The answer is Automated Investigation and Response (AIR). This Microsoft Defender XDR feature is correct because it uses predefined playbooks to automatically evaluate high-severity alerts and execute remediation actions like device isolation without requiring any manual intervention, directly fulfilling the zero-touch requirement. On the MS-102 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how AIR differs from manual response options or simple alert suppression—a common trap is confusing AIR with basic alert policies or automation rules that only notify but do not act. Remember that AIR is the only built-in mechanism in Defender XDR that can autonomously isolate a device when triggered by a high-severity alert, making it the precise tool for automated investigation and response. A useful memory tip: think “AIR = Auto-Isolate Response” to link the feature directly to the isolation action.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse proactive prevention features (like ASR rules) with automated post-breach response capabilities, assuming any security feature that 'blocks' something can also isolate a device automatically.
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
✓
Automated investigation and response
Automated Investigation and Response (AIR) in Microsoft Defender XDR is designed to automatically respond to threats by running playbooks that can take remediation actions, such as isolating a device, without manual intervention. When a high-severity alert triggers, AIR evaluates the alert and, if configured, executes the isolation action as part of its automated response, meeting the requirement for zero-touch isolation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Attack surface reduction rules
Why it's wrong here
Attack surface reduction rules block specific risky behaviours such as Office macros spawning processes; they cannot trigger device isolation. They are tempting because they are automated, policy-based Defender controls, and would be correct for hardening endpoints against known attack techniques rather than responding to an alert.
- ✓
Automated investigation and response
Why this is correct
Automated investigation and response applies remediation actions automatically once a high-severity alert fires, so isolation occurs with no analyst involvement. This satisfies the stem's no-manual-intervention constraint, unlike custom detections or alert tuning, which identify or refine alerts but do not execute containment themselves.
- ✗
Threat analytics
Why it's wrong here
Threat analytics is a reporting dashboard describing active threat campaigns and mitigations; it takes no automated response action on devices. It is tempting because it surfaces high-severity threat intelligence, and would be correct when an administrator needs context about an ongoing campaign before deciding how to respond.
- ✗
Vulnerability management
Why it's wrong here
Vulnerability management surfaces missing patches and misconfigurations; it holds no automated response action, so it cannot isolate a device when an alert fires. It is tempting because it also consumes Defender for Endpoint signals, and it would be the correct choice when the goal is prioritising remediation rather than automatic containment.
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Microsoft 365 Security Posture Improvement
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
Key term
Microsoft Defender XDR
Microsoft Defender XDR is a unified security platform that automatically correlates alerts from across an organization's endpoints, email, identities, and cloud apps to stop complex attacks.
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Same concept, more angles
5 more ways this is tested on MS-102
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 security administrator is configuring Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) to automatically remediate threats. The administrator wants to ensure that when a high-severity alert is triggered, the affected device is isolated from the network. Which three components must be configured to achieve this? (Choose three.)
hard- ✓ A.Alert severity
- ✓ B.Automation level
- C.Device tag
- D.Indicator of compromise (IoC)
- ✓ E.Device isolation action
Why A: To automatically isolate a device when a high-severity alert is triggered, three components must be configured: Alert severity (A) to define which alerts trigger the action, Automation level (B) to enable automated response, and Device isolation action (E) as the specific remediation action. Option C (Device tag) is for grouping devices, not automation. Option D (Indicator of compromise) is used for blocking indicators, not for automated isolation.
Variation 2. You are a security administrator for a multinational company that uses Microsoft Defender XDR. You have deployed Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on all devices. The company has a strict policy that any device with a high-severity alert must be isolated from the network immediately. You need to configure an automated response that isolates the device as soon as a high-severity alert is generated. What should you do?
medium- A.Enable 'Automatically investigate alerts' in the Microsoft Defender portal.
- B.Use the Action Center to manually isolate devices as alerts come in.
- C.Create a device group for high-severity alerts and configure a conditional access policy to block network access.
- ✓ D.In Microsoft Defender XDR, navigate to Settings > Endpoints > Automated investigation and response, and configure the automation level for high-severity alerts to 'Full - remediate threats automatically'.
Why D: In Microsoft Defender XDR, you can configure automated investigation and response settings to automatically remediate threats. By setting the automation level to 'Full - remediate threats automatically' for high-severity alerts, the system will automatically isolate devices as part of the remediation actions. Option A is incorrect because enabling automatic investigation does not automatically trigger isolation; it only starts an investigation. Option B is incorrect because the Action Center is for manual actions, not automated response. Option C is incorrect because device groups and conditional access policies are not the mechanism for automatic isolation in Defender for Endpoint; that is handled by the automated investigation and response settings.
Variation 3. You are a security administrator for a company that uses Microsoft Defender XDR. You need to configure a policy to automatically remediate high-severity incidents involving ransomware on Windows 10 devices. The solution must minimize manual intervention. Which automation level should you configure in the automated investigation and response (AIR) capabilities?
medium- ✓ A.Automatically remediate threats
- B.Full - automatically remediate threats
- C.Semi - require approval for any remediation
- D.No automated response
Why A: 'Automatically remediate threats,' is the correct automation level for minimizing manual intervention when handling high-severity ransomware incidents on Windows 10 devices in Microsoft Defender XDR. This setting allows the automated investigation and response (AIR) engine to take remediation actions—such as isolating devices or blocking files—without requiring an administrator's approval, which is essential for rapid containment of ransomware. The 'Full - automatically remediate threats' option is not a valid selection in the AIR automation levels; the correct terminology is simply 'Automatically remediate threats.'
Variation 4. You are a security administrator for a company that uses Microsoft Defender XDR. You need to configure an automated investigation and response (AIR) policy to automatically remediate threats on devices. Which two actions can be taken automatically without requiring administrator approval? (Choose two.)
medium- ✓ A.Quarantine file
- B.Block URL
- C.Run antivirus scan
- ✓ D.Isolate device
- E.Collect investigation package
Why A: Option A (Quarantine file) is correct because in Microsoft Defender XDR AIR policies, file quarantine is an approved automatic remediation action that can be executed without admin approval when the policy's automation level is set to Full - remediate threats automatically. Option D (Isolate device) is also correct because device isolation is a supported automatic remediation action in AIR, allowing Defender for Endpoint to contain a compromised device immediately without waiting for analyst approval. Options B (Block URL), C (Run antivirus scan), and E (Collect investigation package) are not automatic remediation actions requiring no approval in this context: blocking URLs is typically handled through indicators or custom detections rather than AIR auto-remediation, running an antivirus scan is an investigation/response action that generally requires approval or manual initiation, and collecting an investigation package is a non-destructive investigation action that does not remediate threats and is not part of the automatic remediation set.
Variation 5. You are a security administrator for a company that uses Microsoft Defender XDR. You need to configure automated investigation and response (AIR) to automatically remediate threats. Which two actions should you take?
easy- A.Create a device group for automatic remediation.
- B.Assign the Security Administrator role to all users.
- ✓ C.Configure action center settings to allow automatic remediation.
- ✓ D.Turn on automated investigation in the Microsoft Defender portal.
- E.Set the automation level to 'Full - remediate threats automatically' globally.
Why C: To enable automated investigation and response (AIR) in Microsoft Defender XDR, you must first enable the feature in the Microsoft Defender portal (option D), and then configure action center settings to allow automatic remediation (option C). Option A is incorrect because device groups are not required for AIR; they are used for device-specific policies. Option B is incorrect because the Security Administrator role should be assigned only to necessary users, not all users. Option E is incorrect because automation levels are set per policy, not globally.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This MS-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 MS-102 exam.