This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities. 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 uses Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to discover and control cloud apps. They want to receive alerts when a user accesses a sanctioned app from an unusual location. Which feature should they configure?
Session policies
Why wrong: Control access, not alert on location.
File policies
Why wrong: Monitor files, not user location.
Anomaly detection policies
Detect unusual user activities.
App discovery policies
Why wrong: Identify apps, not user behavior.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Anomaly detection policies
Option C is correct because anomaly detection policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps are specifically designed to identify behavioral deviations, such as a user accessing a sanctioned app from an unusual geographic location. These policies leverage machine learning to establish a baseline of normal user activity and trigger alerts when access patterns deviate from that baseline, enabling detection of potential account compromise or insider threats.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Session policies
Why it's wrong here
Control access, not alert on location.
File policies
Why it's wrong here
Monitor files, not user location.
Anomaly detection policies
Why this is correct
Detect unusual user activities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
App discovery policies
Why it's wrong here
Identify apps, not user behavior.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse anomaly detection policies with session policies, assuming that location-based alerts are enforced via real-time session controls, but session policies only act on traffic after access is granted, whereas anomaly detection policies are the correct detection mechanism for unusual location access.
Detailed technical explanation
Anomaly detection policies in Defender for Cloud Apps use the Cloud App Security (CAS) machine learning engine to analyze user sign-in logs from connected apps (e.g., via OAuth or app connector) and compare attributes like IP geolocation, device fingerprint, and access time against historical patterns. A real-world scenario: if a user typically accesses Salesforce from New York but suddenly logs in from a foreign IP address, the policy triggers an alert with a risk score, allowing security teams to investigate potential credential theft. The policy can be tuned with sensitivity thresholds (e.g., only alert if the location is >500 miles from the user's usual location) to reduce false positives.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — This question tests Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Anomaly detection policies — Option C is correct because anomaly detection policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps are specifically designed to identify behavioral deviations, such as a user accessing a sanctioned app from an unusual geographic location. These policies leverage machine learning to establish a baseline of normal user activity and trigger alerts when access patterns deviate from that baseline, enabling detection of potential account compromise or insider threats.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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