- A
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy
Correct. DLP policies can be configured to detect credit card numbers and automatically apply encryption when sending emails containing that data.
- B
Microsoft Purview Message Encryption
Why wrong: Incorrect. Message Encryption allows users to encrypt individual messages manually or via rules, but DLP is the feature that automates detection and encryption based on sensitive content.
- C
Sensitivity labels
Why wrong: Incorrect. While sensitivity labels can apply encryption, they typically require manual classification or automatic classification via trainable classifiers, not the direct detection of specific patterns like credit card numbers.
- D
Retention policies
Why wrong: Incorrect. Retention policies manage data retention and deletion, not encryption or detection of sensitive content.
MS-900 Practice Question: Describe security, compliance, privacy, and trust in Microsoft 365
This MS-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe security, compliance, privacy, and trust in microsoft 365. 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.
A compliance officer needs to automatically encrypt any outgoing email that contains a customer's credit card number. The solution should work without requiring the sender to take any manual action. Which Microsoft Purview feature should be configured?
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
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy
A Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy in Microsoft Purview can be configured to automatically detect sensitive information types, such as credit card numbers, in outgoing email. When a match is found, the policy can enforce an action like 'Encrypt the message' without requiring any manual action from the sender, fulfilling the compliance officer's requirement for automatic, sender-transparent encryption.
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.
- ✓
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy
Why this is correct
Correct. DLP policies can be configured to detect credit card numbers and automatically apply encryption when sending emails containing that data.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Microsoft Purview Message Encryption
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Message Encryption allows users to encrypt individual messages manually or via rules, but DLP is the feature that automates detection and encryption based on sensitive content.
- ✗
Sensitivity labels
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While sensitivity labels can apply encryption, they typically require manual classification or automatic classification via trainable classifiers, not the direct detection of specific patterns like credit card numbers.
- ✗
Retention policies
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Retention policies manage data retention and deletion, not encryption or detection of sensitive content.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Microsoft Purview Message Encryption (a manual or rule-triggered encryption method) with a DLP policy's ability to automatically detect and encrypt content, leading them to select Message Encryption as the direct solution instead of the policy that orchestrates the detection and action.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, a DLP policy uses the Microsoft 365 classification engine to scan email messages for sensitive information types defined by regular expression patterns and keyword lists (e.g., credit card numbers matching the Luhn algorithm). When a match is detected, the policy can apply a transport rule action that triggers Office 365 Message Encryption (OME) via an Exchange Online mail flow rule, wrapping the message in an encrypted envelope. A subtle behavior is that DLP policies can also be configured to 'Notify the sender with a policy tip' while still automatically encrypting, which can help educate users without requiring their intervention.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this MS-900 question test?
Describe security, compliance, privacy, and trust in Microsoft 365 — This question tests Describe security, compliance, privacy, and trust in Microsoft 365 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy — A Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy in Microsoft Purview can be configured to automatically detect sensitive information types, such as credit card numbers, in outgoing email. When a match is found, the policy can enforce an action like 'Encrypt the message' without requiring any manual action from the sender, fulfilling the compliance officer's requirement for automatic, sender-transparent encryption.
What should I do if I get this MS-900 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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This MS-900 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-900 exam.
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