The answer is that the necessary Windows event logs are not being forwarded to the MDI sensor. Microsoft Defender for Identity relies on specific security event IDs—such as 4776, 4624, and 4648—to detect on-premises attacks like Pass-the-Hash, Golden Ticket, and DCSync; if audit policies are disabled or log size limits prevent these logs from reaching the sensor, the sensor cannot analyze the activity, causing alerts to be missing even though the sensor is installed on domain controllers. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this scenario tests your understanding of MDI’s dependency on event log ingestion rather than sensor placement—a common trap is assuming the sensor alone is sufficient. Remember the mnemonic “No Logs, No Alerts” to recall that without forwarding the correct event IDs, detection fails regardless of sensor presence.
SC-100 Practice Question: Evaluate GRC and security operations strategies
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of evaluate grc and security operations strategies. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 has a hybrid identity infrastructure with on-premises Active Directory synchronized to Azure AD using Azure AD Connect. The security team wants to use Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI) to detect on-premises attacks. They have installed the MDI sensor on all domain controllers. However, they notice that some alerts are missing. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The necessary Windows event logs are not being forwarded to the MDI sensor.
Microsoft Defender for Identity relies on Windows Event Logs (specifically Event ID 4776, 4624, 4648, and others) to detect on-premises attacks such as Pass-the-Hash, Golden Ticket, and DCSync. If these logs are not being forwarded to the MDI sensor (e.g., due to disabled audit policies or log size limits), the sensor cannot analyze the events, resulting in missing alerts. The sensor itself is installed on domain controllers, but it must have access to the relevant security logs to function correctly.
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.
✗
MDI is not integrated with Microsoft Sentinel.
Why it's wrong here
Integration with Sentinel is optional and not required for MDI to generate alerts.
✗
Azure AD Connect is not syncing frequently enough.
Why it's wrong here
Sync frequency does not affect MDI's ability to detect on-premises attacks.
✗
The sensor is not licensed for all detection types.
Why it's wrong here
Licensing determines which features are available, but if the sensor is installed, basic detections should work.
✓
The necessary Windows event logs are not being forwarded to the MDI sensor.
Why this is correct
MDI relies on specific event logs; without them, many detections are not possible.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume missing alerts are due to licensing or integration gaps, but the root cause is typically a missing prerequisite—specifically, the Windows event logs that MDI relies on for attack detection.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
MDI uses a lightweight sensor that captures network traffic (e.g., Kerberos, NTLM, LDAP) and Windows Event Logs from domain controllers. The sensor specifically requires the 'Audit Logon Events' and 'Audit Kerberos Service Ticket Operations' audit policies to be enabled; if these are not configured via Group Policy, critical events like Event ID 4769 (Kerberos service ticket requests) are not generated, causing MDI to miss lateral movement and privilege escalation detections. In real-world deployments, misconfigured audit policies are a common oversight that leads to incomplete coverage.
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.
Evaluate GRC and security operations strategies — This question tests Evaluate GRC and security operations strategies — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The necessary Windows event logs are not being forwarded to the MDI sensor. — Microsoft Defender for Identity relies on Windows Event Logs (specifically Event ID 4776, 4624, 4648, and others) to detect on-premises attacks such as Pass-the-Hash, Golden Ticket, and DCSync. If these logs are not being forwarded to the MDI sensor (e.g., due to disabled audit policies or log size limits), the sensor cannot analyze the events, resulting in missing alerts. The sensor itself is installed on domain controllers, but it must have access to the relevant security logs to function correctly.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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