- A
Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Why wrong: This is a threat protection solution that safeguards against malicious links, attachments, and phishing. It does not provide outbound email encryption.
- B
Microsoft Purview Message Encryption
This solution provides encrypted email delivery, allowing only authenticated recipients to decrypt and read the message. It can be automated via rules.
- C
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Why wrong: DLP policies detect and block sharing of sensitive information but do not encrypt messages. They can trigger encryption if combined with Message Encryption, but alone they do not encrypt.
- D
Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management
Why wrong: This tool helps identify, analyze, and remediate insider risks based on unusual user activities. It does not directly encrypt emails.
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 company wants to ensure that all outgoing emails containing sensitive financial data are encrypted automatically. The encryption should require the recipient to authenticate to read the message. Which Microsoft 365 solution should the administrator configure?
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
Microsoft Purview Message Encryption
Microsoft Purview Message Encryption (MPME) is the correct solution because it allows organizations to send encrypted emails that require recipients to authenticate (via a Microsoft account or a one-time passcode) before they can read the message. This directly meets the requirement for automatic encryption of outgoing emails with sensitive financial data and recipient authentication.
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.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Why it's wrong here
This is a threat protection solution that safeguards against malicious links, attachments, and phishing. It does not provide outbound email encryption.
- ✓
Microsoft Purview Message Encryption
Why this is correct
This solution provides encrypted email delivery, allowing only authenticated recipients to decrypt and read the message. It can be automated via rules.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Why it's wrong here
DLP policies detect and block sharing of sensitive information but do not encrypt messages. They can trigger encryption if combined with Message Encryption, but alone they do not encrypt.
- ✗
Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management
Why it's wrong here
This tool helps identify, analyze, and remediate insider risks based on unusual user activities. It does not directly encrypt emails.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) with Message Encryption, but DLP only detects and blocks sensitive data, while Message Encryption provides the actual encryption and recipient authentication required by the question.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Microsoft Purview Message Encryption leverages Azure Rights Management (Azure RMS) to encrypt email messages using the S/MIME standard, with the encryption key managed by Azure Information Protection. When a recipient authenticates, they receive a decryption key via a secure portal, ensuring that only authorized users can read the message. In a real-world scenario, a financial institution might use MPME with a DLP policy to automatically encrypt any email containing credit card numbers, requiring the external recipient to verify their identity via a one-time passcode.
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 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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Describe security, compliance, privacy, and trust in Microsoft 365 — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Describe security, compliance, privacy, and trust in Microsoft 365 practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All MS-900 questions
985 questions across all exam domains
- →
Microsoft 365 Fundamentals MS-900 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
MS-900 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related MS-900 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Describe Microsoft 365 apps and services practice questions
Practise MS-900 questions linked to Describe Microsoft 365 apps and services.
Describe Microsoft 365 pricing, licensing, and support practice questions
Practise MS-900 questions linked to Describe Microsoft 365 pricing, licensing, and support.
Describe cloud concepts practice questions
Practise MS-900 questions linked to Describe cloud concepts.
Describe security, compliance, privacy, and trust in Microsoft 365 practice questions
Practise MS-900 questions linked to Describe security, compliance, privacy, and trust in Microsoft 365.
Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support practice questions
Practise MS-900 questions linked to Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support.
MS-900 fundamentals practice questions
Practise MS-900 questions linked to MS-900 fundamentals.
MS-900 scenario practice questions
Practise MS-900 questions linked to MS-900 scenario.
MS-900 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise MS-900 questions linked to MS-900 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free MS-900 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Microsoft Purview Message Encryption — Microsoft Purview Message Encryption (MPME) is the correct solution because it allows organizations to send encrypted emails that require recipients to authenticate (via a Microsoft account or a one-time passcode) before they can read the message. This directly meets the requirement for automatic encryption of outgoing emails with sensitive financial data and recipient authentication.
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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More MS-900 practice questions
- A compliance-aware administrator is selecting the right Microsoft 365 capability to use Microsoft 365 and another public…
- A company currently has Microsoft 365 E3 licenses for all users. They need to retain all Exchange Online mailbox data fo…
- A nonprofit organization with 50 users needs to use Microsoft 365 for email, file storage, and online versions of Office…
- A legal firm must ensure that all documents containing a specific project code are automatically retained for 7 years af…
- A legal team needs to preserve all data related to a specific user involved in litigation, including Exchange emails, Sh…
- A project manager wants to automate the process of sending a welcome email to new team members when they are added to a…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.