The correct answer is to configure the User-reported messages settings in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal. This setting directly controls the submission behavior for phishing emails that users report via the built-in Report Message or Report Phishing add-ins, allowing you to automatically forward those messages to Microsoft for analysis in Defender XDR. By enabling automatic submission, you ensure that reported threats are ingested into Microsoft’s threat intelligence pipeline, which then refines policy tuning and detection algorithms across your tenant. On the MS-102 exam, this question tests your understanding of the difference between the User-reported messages settings and other submission policies, such as Admin submissions or the Submissions page—a common trap is confusing these two, as Admin submissions are for manual uploads, not automated user reports. Remember the memory tip: “User reports go to User settings; admin reports go to Submissions.” This distinction is critical for configuring automated analysis without manual intervention.
MS-102 Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant Practice Question
This MS-102 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage a microsoft 365 tenant. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Your organization uses Microsoft 365 Defender for Office 365. You need to ensure that phishing emails reported by users are automatically submitted for analysis in Microsoft Defender XDR. What should you configure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure the User-reported messages settings in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
The User-reported messages settings in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal allow you to configure how user-reported phishing emails are handled. By enabling automatic submission to Microsoft for analysis, you ensure that reported messages are sent directly to the Microsoft security team for threat intelligence and policy tuning. This is the correct setting because it specifically controls the submission behavior for user-reported messages in Defender for Office 365.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Modify the anti-phishing policy to include user-reported submissions.
Why it's wrong here
Anti-phishing policies do not include submission settings for user-reported messages.
✗
Use the Attack simulation training to collect user reports.
Why it's wrong here
Attack simulation training is for simulating attacks, not for processing user-reported emails.
✗
Enable Safe Attachments policy to automatically submit reported messages.
Why it's wrong here
Safe Attachments scans attachments; it does not handle user-reported submissions.
✓
Configure the User-reported messages settings in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
Why this is correct
This setting controls how user-reported messages are submitted for analysis.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the anti-phishing policy (which handles detection settings) with the User-reported messages settings (which handles submission of user-reported emails), leading them to incorrectly select Option A.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The User-reported messages settings leverage the Submissions API in Microsoft 365 Defender to forward messages to Microsoft's analysis pipeline. When configured, reported messages are submitted via the User-Reported Message Submission (URMS) protocol, which includes metadata like the reporting user and original headers, enabling Microsoft to update anti-phishing policies and block indicators globally. In a real-world scenario, this setting is critical for organizations that want to contribute to Microsoft's threat intelligence while automatically refining their own protection policies.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. 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.
Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — This question tests Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the User-reported messages settings in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal. — The User-reported messages settings in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal allow you to configure how user-reported phishing emails are handled. By enabling automatic submission to Microsoft for analysis, you ensure that reported messages are sent directly to the Microsoft security team for threat intelligence and policy tuning. This is the correct setting because it specifically controls the submission behavior for user-reported messages in Defender for Office 365.
What should I do if I get this MS-102 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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