The answer is to enable the 'defenderForSql' plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud and set the 'agentlessScanning' property to 'true'. This configuration directly activates agentless scanning for SQL Server on Azure VMs, allowing Defender for Cloud to assess SQL databases without installing any agents or managing extensions, which reduces overhead and attack surface. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this question tests your understanding of how Defender for Cloud’s plan-level settings control specific scanning capabilities, often confusing candidates who mistakenly associate agentless scanning with Azure Policy enforcement or SQL Vulnerability Assessment—both of which are separate features that do not enable the scanning itself. A common trap is assuming that simply enabling Defender for Cloud automatically scans SQL servers, but the agentless scanning property must be explicitly toggled. Remember the mnemonic “D4SQL + A = Scan,” where D4SQL stands for defenderForSql and A stands for agentlessScanning set to true.
SC-100 Design security solutions for infrastructure Practice Question
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design security solutions for infrastructure. 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 plans to deploy Microsoft Defender for Cloud to protect hybrid workloads. You need to design the agentless scanning deployment for Azure VMs running SQL Server. 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
✓
In Microsoft Defender for Cloud, enable the 'defenderForSql' plan and set the 'agentlessScanning' property to 'true'.
Agentless scanning for SQL Server on Azure VMs is enabled via defenderForSql in the Defender plan, not via Azure Policy or SQL Vulnerability Assessment. Option C is correct because it directly enables agentless scanning. Option A is wrong because Azure Policy can enforce scanning but is not the configuration mechanism. Option B is wrong because SQL Vulnerability Assessment is a separate feature. Option D is wrong because just enabling Defender for Cloud does not automatically scan SQL.
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.
✓
In Microsoft Defender for Cloud, enable the 'defenderForSql' plan and set the 'agentlessScanning' property to 'true'.
Why this is correct
This directly enables agentless scanning for SQL Server on Azure VMs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Deploy the Log Analytics agent on each SQL Server VM.
Why it's wrong here
Agent-based scanning is not agentless; this defeats the purpose.
✗
Enable SQL Vulnerability Assessment in Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Why it's wrong here
Vulnerability Assessment is a scanning feature, not agentless scanning configuration.
✗
Configure Azure Policy to assign the 'Enable Defender for Cloud for SQL Servers' initiative.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Policy can enforce compliance but does not directly configure agentless scanning.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-100 question in full detail.
Identify which SC-100 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Design security solutions for infrastructure — This question tests Design security solutions for infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: In Microsoft Defender for Cloud, enable the 'defenderForSql' plan and set the 'agentlessScanning' property to 'true'. — Agentless scanning for SQL Server on Azure VMs is enabled via defenderForSql in the Defender plan, not via Azure Policy or SQL Vulnerability Assessment. Option C is correct because it directly enables agentless scanning. Option A is wrong because Azure Policy can enforce scanning but is not the configuration mechanism. Option B is wrong because SQL Vulnerability Assessment is a separate feature. Option D is wrong because just enabling Defender for Cloud does not automatically scan SQL.
What should I do if I get this SC-100 question wrong?
Identify which SC-100 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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