The answer is to mark the app as unsanctioned in Defender for Cloud Apps. This is correct because the unsanctioned label triggers an automatic enforcement action that integrates with Azure AD Conditional Access, blocking user access to the app at the authentication or session level while also generating alerts for security teams. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this tests your understanding of the Shadow IT discovery and governance workflow, where the key trap is confusing unsanctioning with simply tagging or generating a report—tagging alone does not enforce a block. A common memory tip is to think of the unsanctioned label as a kill switch: once flipped, Defender for Cloud Apps enforces the block through Conditional Access policies, so you never need to manually create a separate blocking rule.
SC-100 Practice Question: Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 Shadow IT. They want to block the use of a newly discovered unsanctioned app. What should they do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Mark the app as unsanctioned in Defender for Cloud Apps
Option C is correct because marking an app as unsanctioned in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is the direct mechanism to block access to a discovered Shadow IT app. When an app is marked unsanctioned, Defender for Cloud Apps automatically enforces a block by integrating with Conditional Access to prevent users from accessing the app, and it can also generate alerts and session controls. This action is specifically designed for the discovered app governance workflow within Defender for Cloud Apps.
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.
✗
Create a Conditional Access policy to block the app
Why it's wrong here
Conditional Access can block but requires app ID and is more complex.
✗
Use Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention to block the app
Why it's wrong here
DLP prevents data exfiltration, not app usage.
✓
Mark the app as unsanctioned in Defender for Cloud Apps
Why this is correct
Unsanctioning blocks the app's usage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Block the app's domain in Microsoft Intune
Why it's wrong here
Intune manages mobile devices, not cloud app usage.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume creating a Conditional Access policy directly is the correct action, but the SC-100 exam tests the understanding that marking the app as unsanctioned in Defender for Cloud Apps is the prerequisite step that triggers the automatic Conditional Access policy enforcement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When an app is marked unsanctioned in Defender for Cloud Apps, the platform uses the Cloud App Security Conditional Access App Control to enforce session policies and block access in real time. This integration leverages the Azure AD Conditional Access infrastructure, specifically the 'Use Conditional Access App Control' control, to redirect traffic through Defender for Cloud Apps for inspection. In a real-world scenario, this allows organizations to block a newly discovered app like a personal file-sharing service across all devices and locations without needing to manually configure policies for each endpoint.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-100 question in full detail.
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..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Mark the app as unsanctioned in Defender for Cloud Apps — Option C is correct because marking an app as unsanctioned in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is the direct mechanism to block access to a discovered Shadow IT app. When an app is marked unsanctioned, Defender for Cloud Apps automatically enforces a block by integrating with Conditional Access to prevent users from accessing the app, and it can also generate alerts and session controls. This action is specifically designed for the discovered app governance workflow within Defender for Cloud Apps.
What should I do if I get this SC-100 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 →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. 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?
medium
A.Session policies
B.File policies
✓ C.Anomaly detection policies
D.App discovery policies
Why C: 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.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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This SC-100 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 SC-100 exam.
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